Aston Villa are an English Premier League side who are based in the midlands and have many trophies to their name. They’re also one of the oldest teams around too, but how much do you know about the Lions?

Once you’ve absorbed these facts into the football trivia part of your brain, why not try our Ultimate Aston Villa quiz or see how much you know about their former star Jack Grealish?

1. They were founded in 1874

Aston Villa are of the original 12 teams and one of oldest clubs in English football. They’re one of the most successful too. Over the course of their history, the Villans have won many trophies: they’ve lifted the Football League First Division trophy 7 times, the League Cup 5 times, the FA Cup an impressive 7 times and the European Cup and European Super Cup once apiece. Their trophy cabinet must be sturdy!

2. They’ve played at Villa Park since 1879

Aston Villa’s ground Villa Park has been the team’s home since 1879. During this time, the club have never sold the name to any sponsors unlike other teams at their level. The ground’s capacity is 42,657, making it the 10th largest stadium in England.

3. Their badge is connected to Scotland

In 1880, the team incorporated a Scottish Lion Rampant into their team’s badge. This was due to Scottish men – William McGregor and George Ramsay – who led the club at the time, and it remains part of their club’s crest to this day!

4. They have TWO rival teams

Aston Villa count both Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion as their closest rivals. When Villa play Birmingham City, it’s known as the Second City Derby. A bit like El Clásico, but not as warm.

5. They won the European Cup in 1982

Aston Villa re one of six British teams to lift the European Cup. Their moment of glory was thanks to striker Peter Withe, who cooly slotted the ball past Bayern Munich’s goalkeeper during the final which took place in Rotterdam on May 26, 1982. The cup win is represented by a star on the team’s latest badge.

6. They have famous fans

Prince William, actor Tom Hanks and members of heavy metal legends Black Sabbath are all fans of the Villans! Speaking of HRH Prince William, the club are one of the few teams to have a reigning monarch attend a match. King George V attended a match at Villa Park in 1924, but it’s not known whether he enjoyed a cup of tea and a pie at half-time.

7. Aston Villa WFC play in the Women’s Super League

Aston Villa Women FC have been a club since 1973. They were originally called Solihull FC and linked up with Villa in 1989, and became known as Villa Aztecs. They officially adopted the Aston Villa name in 1996. They play their home games at Bescot Stadium in Walsall and occasionally at Villa Park.

8. They’ve won the FA Cup 7 times!

Aston Villa have won the FA Cup 7 times during their history. They’ve lifted the trophy in 1887, 1895, 1897, 1905, 1913, 1920, and 1957. They’ve also been runners-up 4 times, narrowly missing out on cup glory in 1892, 1924, 2000 and 2015!

9. They once scored 128 goals in a season

This staggering achievement happened in the 1930/1931 season and it has never been bettered. Despite this avalanche of goals, they still came second to Arsenal that year!

10. The team are named after a fancy house

According to the club’s official website, the team got its name from “a large Georgian house of that same name, which stood at the junction of Lozells Road and Heathfield Road”. So now you know!

11. One Aston Villa was on board the Titanic

An Aston Villa player named Tommy Broad was a passenger on RMS Titanic in 1912 and was one of the lucky survivors.

12. They were the second team to achieve ‘the Double’

By 1897, Aston Villa were a formidable force, and won the league and FA Cup in the same year. The first team to achieve this were Preston North End!

13. Gareth Southgate played for Aston Villa

The England manager spent six years at Villa, from 1995–2001. During that time, he made 191 appearances for the team and scored 7 goals, before joining Middlesbrough.

14. Their first game was unusual

In the early days of the club, Aston Villa’s first game was against Aston Brook St. Mary – a rugby team! For the first half, the game followed rugby rules and was switched to football rules for the remaining part of the game!

15. Emiliano Martínez is one of the best goalies in the world

Argentina’s goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez started his senior career at Arsenal in 2012 and was loaned out to Oxford United, Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham, Wolves, Getafe and Reading, before settling at Aston Villa in 2020. He was the shot-stopper for Argentina during their 2022 FIFA World Cup win and was awarded the Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper award and the FIFA World Cup Golden Glove in 2022.