Aston Villa W.F.C.

Aston Villa
Full name	Aston Villa Women Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Villans, The Villa, The Lions
Short name	Villa, AVWFC
Founded	1973 (as Solihull FC)
Ground	Bescot Stadium, Walsall (Capacity: 11,000)
Owner	NSWE Group
Chairman	Nassef Sawiris
Manager	Carla Ward
Current League	FA WSL
2023–24	FA WSL, 7th
Website	Club home page
Current season

Aston Villa Women Football Club is the women's football team of Aston Villa, currently playing in the English Women's Championship. The club has been in existence under several names since 1973. Originally titled Solihull F.C., the team affiliated to Aston Villa in 1989, becoming Villa Aztecs, and became the officially licensed Aston Villa women's side in 1996. The club have a senior team, a reserve team and several other teams of younger age groups under a Regional Talent Club FA license.

History

Aston Villa Women Football Club was formed in 1973 as Solihull FC. When Aston Villa asked for help in forming a ladies team in 1989, Solihull responded. The club agreed to change their name in 1996 to become the officially recognised ladies team of Aston Villa.

As Villa Aztecs, they reached the 1995 League Cup Final but lost 2–0 to Wimbledon, and played in the 1995–96 FA Women's Premier League but were relegated.

The senior team, renamed to Aston Villa Ladies F.C., continued to play mainly in the 2nd-tier Northern Division. The club won promotion twice more and played in the FA Women's Premier League National Division in 1999–2000 and in 2003–04, but ended in the relegation zone in both seasons.

The Lady Villans won the Northern Division for the fourth time in 2011 and gained promotion to the WPL National Division, which had become the 2nd tier below the FA WSL.

On 5 May 2013, the club had its greatest achievement by winning its first ever trophy, the Women's Premier League Cup, beating Leeds United Ladies 5–4 on penalties.

In 2014 they were one of ten teams who were elected to WSL2, and in 2018 to the Women's Championship.

On 4 July 2019, the team was renamed Aston Villa Women F.C., CEO Christian Purslow, said that the name "aligns more appropriately with women’s football in this country". On the same day, Chief Commercial Officer, Nicola Ibbetson, was elected to the FA WSL and Women's Championship board - making Aston Villa Women one of only two Championship clubs to have a representative on the board.

In 2019–20, Villa won promotion to the WSL and entered the top flight of women's football for the first time since 2004. For the 2022-23 Women's Super League season the women will play four of their eleven home matches at Villa Park, where the men's team play.

Players

Current squad

As of 2 February 2024.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK Daphne van Domselaar 2 DF Sarah Mayling 4 DF Anna Patten 5 MF Lucy Staniforth 6 DF Rachel Corsie (captain) 7 FW Alisha Lehmann 8 MF Jordan Nobbs 9 FW Rachel Daly (vice-captain) 10 MF Kenza Dali 11 FW Freya Gregory 13 GK Sophia Poor

No. Pos. Nation Player 14 DF Danielle Turner 15 DF Lucy Parker 17 FW Ebony Salmon 18 FW Georgia Mullett 20 FW Kirsty Hanson 21 GK Anna Leat 22 FW Simone Magill 23 FW Adriana Leon 26 DF Noelle Maritz 33 DF Maz Pacheco – MF Miri Taylor (on loan from Liverpool)

Out on loan

No. Pos. Nation Player 16 DF Olivia McLoughlin (on loan at Rangers) 28 MF Alice Keitley (on dual-registration loan at Nottingham Forest)

External links

• AVFC Ladies official website