Football is so deeply ingrained into English culture. The rules of the game, as we understand it today, originated in Cambridge, in the 1850s, and ever since football has been a staple of English culture. Many of the world’s best football teams hail from England, and there is not a year when an English team isn’t at least in the top 5 football teams of the year.
Historically, one of England’s most successful teams is Aston Villa Football Club. In this article, we will look at the inception of the team, the height of their success, and the troubles they’ve faced.
Victorian Era (1874-1901)
Aston Villa club was formed in 1874, during the reign of Queen Victoria, by four co-founders. They played their first match against a local team in 1874 and won their first major tournament, the Birmingham Senior Cup 1880.
The team gained prominence in 1887 when they won their first Football Association Cup, captained by Archie Hunter. In the following years, the team would see a very fruitful career, and emerge from the Victorian era as one of the most accomplished football teams, having won three FA Cups and five League titles by 1901.
The Victorian Era was when Football was just starting out, and football betting was gaining prominence. Among major betters, Aston Villa was one of the most popular teams. Today, like the team itself, sports betting has changed, with the emergence of online sportsbooks, like the Helpbet new betting sites, sports betting is more popular than ever.
The 20th Century
In the early years after the Victorian era, the team kept on its successful streak, winning another FA Cup in 1920. Sadly, the years to come would not be kind to Aston Villa. The club began a steady decline, which led to it being relegated to Second Division in 1936. At that point, Aston Villa was one of the biggest football clubs in the entire world, so the relegation came as a major shock to fans, and a blow to the players themselves.
The drought would last 37 years. In 1957, Aston Villa caught a glimmer of their former glory, when Villa veteran, Eric Houghton, led the club to their seventh, and at the time record-setting, Football Association Cup finals, where they defeated Manchester United.
Two years later, the team got relegated to Second Division again, however, this time they faced relegation with a determination to soar to the top again, soon becoming Second Division Champions. In 1961, Aston Villa became the first team to win the League Cup, cementing themselves as undeniable legends in football’s history.
Aston Villa went on to win the League Cup four more times, with their last League Cup win being in 1996.
The Modern Era
In 2016, a Chinese businessman purchased Aston Villa for over 70 million pounds. The 2016 season started out poorly, but the team recovered in the 2017/18 season, where they finished fourth. Unfortunately, they lost to Fulham in the EFL Championship Play-off Final.
Since then the club was taken over once more, gained promotion as they attempt to return to the glory days. In the 2020/21 season, Aston Villa ended up 11th in the rankings.