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| Full name | Aston Villa Women Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | The Villans, The Villa, The Lions | |||
| Short name | Villa, AVWFC | |||
| Founded | 1973; 52 years ago (1973) (as Solihull FC) | |||
| Ground | Villa Park (league matches)[1] Bescot Stadium (cup matches) | |||
| Capacity | 42,600 11,300 | |||
| Owner(s) | V Sports (90%) Marc Zahr (10%) | |||
| Chairman | Nassef Sawiris | |||
| Manager | Natalia Arroyo | |||
| League | Women's Super League | |||
| 2024–25 | WSL, 6th of 12 | |||
| Website | avfc.co.uk/avwfc | |||
 Current season | ||||
Aston Villa Women Football Club is the women'sfootball team ofAston Villa, currently playing in theWomen's Super League.[2] The club has been in existence since 1973. Originally titledSolihull F.C., the team affiliated to Aston Villa in 1989, becomingVilla Aztecs, and became the official 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 aRegional Talent Club FA license.
Aston Villa Women Football Club was formed in 1973 asSolihull 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 1995League Cup Final but lost 2–0 to Wimbledon, and played in the1995–96 FA Women's Premier League but were relegated.
The senior team, renamed toAston Villa Ladies F.C., continued to play mainly in the 2nd-tierNorthern Division. The club won promotion twice more and played in theFA Women's Premier League National Division in1999–2000[3] and in2003–04, but ended in the relegation zone in both seasons.
The Lady Villans won the Northern Division for the fourth time UTFVin 2011 and gained promotion to the WPL National Division,[4] which had become the 2nd tier below theFA 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.[5]
In 2014 they were one of ten teams who were elected toWSL2,[6] and in 2018 to theWomen's Championship.[7]
On 4 July 2019, the team was renamed Aston Villa Women F.C., CEOChristian Purslow, said that the name "aligns more appropriately with women’s football in this country".[8] 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.[9]
In2019–20, Villa won promotion to the WSL and entered the top flight of women's football for the first time since 2004.[10] For the2022-23 Women's Super League season the women played four of their eleven home matches atVilla Park, where the men's team play. For the 2024-2025 season, the club announced they would play all home League fixtures at Villa Park.
On 21 October 2025,V Sports, owners of Aston Villa, announced the sale of a 10% stake in Aston Villa Women to Marc Zahr, co-president ofBlue Owl Capital.[11][12]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Executive Chairman | Nassef Sawiris |
| Co-chairman | Wes Edens |
| President of Business Operations | Chris Heck[16][17] |
| President of Football Operations | Roberto Olabe[18] |
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Director of Women's Football | Marisa Ewers |
| Manager | Natalia Arroyo |
| Assistant First Team Coach | Jessie van den Broek |
| Assistant First Team Coach | Shaun Goater |
| Goalkeeper Coach | Chris Stygal |
| Club Doctor | Fadi Hassan |
| Lead Physiotherapist | Dan Dagia |
| Physical Performance Lead | Kirsty Frick |
The club also run several other teams under the auspices of an FA Tier TwoRegional Talent Club. This centre aims to develop the talent from within the local area. The RTC teams include anunder-10,under-12,under-14,under-16 anddevelopment squad
In August 2010, Aston Villa Women FC supplied eight players to a 30-strongEngland Under-17 training camp.[19]
| Dates | Name |
|---|---|
| 2018–2021 |  Gemma Davies |
| 2021 | Marcus Bignot (interim) |
| 2021–2024 | Carla Ward |
| 2024 |  Robert de Pauw |
| 2024–2025 |  Shaun Goater (interim) |
| 2025– |  Natalia Arroyo |
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