Who Owns Aston Villa?

Aston Villa was founded in 1874 by members of the Aston Villa Wesleyan Chapel in Birmingham, making it one of the oldest football clubs in England. The club was instrumental in the formation of the English Football League in 1888 and was one of its founding members. This founding as a church-based team created a distinctive community heritage that would shape the club's identity and connection with its local supporters throughout its history, establishing a tradition of community engagement and local pride that continues to define Aston Villa's relationship with Birmingham and its surrounding areas.

The club experienced its greatest success in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, winning the FA Cup in 1887 and the First Division title in 1894. Aston Villa's golden era came in the early 1980s under manager Ron Saunders and later Tony Barton, winning the European Cup in 1982, along with multiple domestic trophies. This remarkable achievement of winning Europe's most prestigious club competition demonstrated Aston Villa's ability to compete at the highest level of European football and established the club among the elite of English football history.

After periods of financial difficulties and relegation in the late 1960s and 1970s, the club was revitalized under chairman Doug Ellis in the 1980s and 1990s. The club moved to Villa Park, their current home stadium, in 1897 and has remained there ever since. This period of revival and stability demonstrated Aston Villa's resilience and ability to overcome challenges while maintaining its position as one of England's most respected football clubs with a rich heritage and loyal supporter base.

In 2016, Chinese businessman Tony Xia acquired the club before selling to the current V Sports ownership group in 2018. Under the new ownership, Aston Villa returned to the Premier League in 2019 and has established itself as a stable top-flight club. This transition to modern international ownership represented Aston Villa's adaptation to the changing financial landscape of football while maintaining the club's distinctive identity and connection to its local community and supporter base.