Aston Villa F.C. - Colours and Badge

Colours and Badge

Villa's proposed kit of 1886.

The club colours are claret shirt with sky blue sleeves, white shorts with claret and blue trim, and sky blue socks with claret and white trim. They were the original wearers of the claret and blue. Villa's colours at the outset generally comprised plain shirts (white, grey or a shade of blue), with either white or black shorts. For a few years after that (1877–79) the team wore several different kits from all white, blue and black, red and blue to plain green. By 1880, black jerseys with a red lion embroidered on the chest were introduced by William McGregor. This remained the first choice strip for six years. On Monday, 8 November 1886, an entry in the club's official minute book states:

(i) Proposed and seconded that the colours be chocolate and sky blue shirts and that we order two dozen.

(ii) Proposed and seconded that Mr McGregor be requested to supply them at the lowest quotation.

The chocolate colour later became claret. Nobody is quite sure why claret and blue became the club's adopted colours.

A new badge was revealed in May 2007, for the 2007–08 season and beyond. The new badge includes a star to represent the European Cup win in 1982, and has a light blue background behind Villa's 'lion rampant'. The traditional motto "Prepared" remains in the badge, and the name Aston Villa has been shortened to AVFC, FC having been omitted from the previous badge. The lion is now unified as opposed to fragmented lions of the past. Randy Lerner petitioned fans to help with the design of the new badge. On 2 June 2008 it was announced that Aston Villa would forgo commercial kit sponsorship for the 2008–09 season; instead they would advertise the charity Acorns Children's Hospice, the first deal of its kind in Premiership history. The partnership continued until 2010 when a commercial sponsor replaced Acorns, with the hospice becoming the club's Official Charity Partner.

Read more about this topic:  Aston Villa F.C.

Famous quotes containing the words colours and, colours and/or badge:

    I should need
    Colours and words that are unknown to man,
    To paint the visionary dreariness
    William Wordsworth (1770–1850)

    When we reflect on our past sentiments and affections, our thought is a faithful mirror, and copies its objects truly; but the colours which it employs are faint and dull, in comparison of those in which our original perceptions were clothed.
    David Hume (1711–1776)

    Just across the Green from the post office is the county jail, seldom occupied except by some backwoodsman who has been intemperate; the courthouse is under the same roof. The dog warden usually basks in the sunlight near the harness store or the post office, his golden badge polished bright.
    —Administration for the State of Con, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)