[FM24] 1874 Villa, The Rise of the Rebel Lions - Sticking it to the Man!

[Rick87]

Apologies to all for starting a new career so soon after my last one with Carlisle, but real-life events of the previous few days have given me an idea for a story that I can't get out of my mind and want to try. I hope you'll enjoy!

__________________________

Edited September 7 by Rick87

[Rick87]

 

 

Club Statement

1st June 2023

The 1874 group is delighted to announce the formation of the 1874 Villa Association Football Club. The name was chosen by a vote amongst our members. While all of our members are still saddened that a breakaway group was necessary, we look to the future with great optimism and excitement as we establish our brand-new club.

Our club constitution was drafted and ratified at a series of meetings this summer, listed below are the key points;

- 1874 Villa AFC, shall always be owned, and run by the fans, and for the fans.

-The club will never be sold to outside investors, and will always remain in the custody of the 1874 group.

-The board will be elected by members every two years in July, with our first election due to be held in 2025.

-The club will prioritise, as far as it is able, the development of local talent as well as building strong relations with the local community and other local clubs.

 

Our crest was chosen as the winner from the many entries we had in our competition to design our very first emblem. It symbolises our unwavering support of Aston Villa, to whom we are all still loyal supporters, even if we cannot support the current custodians of the club. The round badge was chosen deliberately in light of AVFC's disregard for the fan vote last year. Depicted is the lion that has traditionally featured on AVFC's badge, as well as the gas light, where the founding members of Aston Villa met 149 years ago to establish the club. Our mantra 'For the Fans' is also included.

 

 

[phnompenhandy]

Nice. Academy-Only? What level you starting at?

[Rick87]

 

The Castle Vale Stadium sits in the North-Eastern part of Birmingham, the heartland of Aston Villa's fan base. At around five miles away from Villa Park, this was seen by the board as an ideal location to establish the club in its infancy. 

The ground itself is pretty tidy, it has a capacity of 2000 standing and 500 seated. Naturally, the club will be hoping to outgrow this ground and move to a stadium of our own in the future. But that is a long way down the line yet. For now, Vale Park will do nicely.

 

 

We will be sharing the CVS with Romulus FC, who are a good fit for us as they are also heavily focused on developing local youngsters, with most of their squad coming through their youth ranks. The Roms have an impressive alumni for a club of their size, former England striker Darius Vassell, Derby forward Dean Sturridge, Zat Knight, and Villa brothers Luke and Steffan Moore, all came through the youth teams at Romulus. 

 

 

Edited September 6 by Rick87

[Rick87]

Edited September 6 by Rick87

[Rick87]

3 hours ago, phnompenhandy said:

Nice. Academy-Only? What level you starting at?

Not initially, I'm planning on holding trials for season one. But I will be making extensive use of the academy going forward.

[Rick87]

An Interview with the Chairman

Welcome fellow lions to our special feature, a Q&A with club chairman Andy Parker

Andy, Thank you for taking the time to talk to us, it's fair to say it has been a whirlwind summer for you!

Thank you for allowing me to clear some things up, We have tried to be as transparent as possible in our communications, however, it is fair to say that there are still some things that could be addressed.

Well, let's begin with something that must have crossed the mind of prospective Rebel Lions supporters, to what extent are you intending to rival Aston Villa? given that our club is born out of dissatisfaction with the way Villa is being run.

Let me get this straight; We do not regard Aston Villa as a rival club. Our number is comprised of multiple generations of loyal Villa supporters who have followed the club through dark days such as being relegated to the third division in the 70s, to incredible highs such as the European Cup win in 1982. We will always be Villa fans. However, it became increasingly clear in recent years that the current ownership sees the Villa faithful as nothing more than cash cows to milk dry. We aim to provide an affordable alternative to Villa supporters who have been priced out of watching at Villa Park.

 

What were your inspirations behind the formation of a 'rebel club'?

As I said, we are here to provide an affordable experience for supporters who feel disenfranchised by the game at the elite level. That is for supporters of any club, not just Villa. We want to nurture a welcoming family atmosphere where parents can bring their children and kindle a love of the game that lasts a lifetime, much as our parents did at Villa Park in our own childhoods. 

In terms of inspiration, we have studied closely the formation and gradual rise of FC United of Manchester, who were born out of similar circumstances by Manchester United supporters after the Glazer takeover. We also took inspiration from the German system of fans owning 51% of clubs. Something we would love to see introduced on these shores.

 

Having now been elected into the Midland Football League, What is your long-term vision for 1874?

Of course, the board and I want to see the club achieve as much success as it possibly can. We are hugely grateful to the MFL for adopting us and everyone at the club can't wait for the fixture list to be announced. 

Our short-term aim will be to establish the club as a competitive outfit in the MFL, going forward we wish to create a youth system that will rival any of the other non-league clubs in the area, to give local youngsters a chance to prove themselves. Some day of course I hope we will see 1874 in the Football League, that is the ultimate aim, however we will not forego the club mantra of 'For the Fans' to fast-track our way to success, we aim to build steadily and sustainably, not by ripping off our fans or acquiring mountains of debts.

 

With the season fast approaching, when will you be announcing the manager who will be tasked with guiding the club through its first season?

Rest assured, we are mindful of the situation and have been conducting interviews over the last week. I can't give specifics, but I will say we have completed advanced discussions with a former international and Villa man who is sympathetic to our cause and who can help draw attention to the club. There will be full details when we announce tomorrow. Watch this space!

 

Exciting stuff! Andy, thank you for your time, we are all eagerly awaiting your announcement and indeed to see the club set sail on her maiden season. Good luck!

Thank you, Up the Villa!

Edited September 6 by Rick87

[_Ben_]

Yeah - it's been an odd time to be a Villa fan and the news over the past couple of days has even more separated the on the pitch from the off the pitch. That being said, a few years ago, I tried to remake an MLS style English setup with regional leagues and, within the pyramid, academy teams and university sides that provided talent pools (as affiliates) to the big clubs. It reminded me that Birmingham, and, of course, the Villa academy, has a really proud history of producing footballers.

Up the 1874!

[Rick87]

 

 

Edited September 6 by Rick87

[Rick87]

1 hour ago, _Ben_ said:

Yeah - it's been an odd time to be a Villa fan and the news over the past couple of days has even more separated the on the pitch from the off the pitch. That being said, a few years ago, I tried to remake an MLS style English setup with regional leagues and, within the pyramid, academy teams and university sides that provided talent pools (as affiliates) to the big clubs. It reminded me that Birmingham, and, of course, the Villa academy, has a really proud history of producing footballers.

Up the 1874!

Thanks mate.

Yes, on the field it's great but off the pitch, I detest the the direction the club is taking. 
Your database sounds interesting. I tried something similar by trying to arrange British football into the same system as Rugby Union (Which I also like), a 12-team prem with a play-off tournament to decide the winner and a combined league for Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.

[Rick87]

Dates For Your Diary

The MFL fixture list has been released, 1874 will play our first-ever competitive fixture away at Wolverhampton Sporting Community FC.

The game at WSCFC's Pride Park will be a historic occasion for our club and we hope to take a significant away following to Cannock for the game. We then face a tasty clash with one of our closest neighbors. Paget Rangers were formed in Erdington, just two miles from our own Castle Vale stadium. Paget are now sharing Sutton Coldfield Town's Coles Lane ground, a short four miles north of the Vale.

Our first home fixture comes at home to Stapenhill who journey from Burton-upon-Trent to hopefully face a bumper crowd of enthusiastic Rebel Lions.

Fans are advised not to make plans to travel to Bridgnorth on the 23rd of September as that fixture will be re-arranged for the FA Vase 2nd Qualifying round. Details of the rearranged fixture and draw for the vase will be provided once we have them.

 

Edited September 6 by Rick87

[Rick87]

G'day Lions fans! Today we sit down with the man charged with building our squad, Former England and Villa striker Dion Dublin.

 

 

Good morning, Dion. Thanks for talking to us. First of all, what was it about the 1874 project that tempted you into the murky world of football management? Given that you are already a successful TV personality and businessman, do you have any time left in your diary?

Haha, well I was well aware of the growing disconnect between the supporters and the people running Villa, and indeed fans of many other clubs who dislike the way the game is going. I have spoken to many who have been put off watching their clubs at elite level as they are priced out, which can never be right. Football is nothing without the fans and clubs need to remember that. It was refreshing to see somebody trying to do something to help cash-strapped fans and it is a project I was delighted to come aboard.

 

You've been retired from playing for thirteen years now, what has stopped you from getting involved in coaching before now?

It's something I considered towards the end of my career at Norwich, however, BBC offered me the chance to come aboard as a pundit and then asked me to do Homes under the hammer. Before I knew it I was also signed up for Master Chef and various other appearances. I was also invited on as a board member at Cambridge United, so I guess my coaching ambitions just took a backseat to all that. But I do feel I have something to offer in the dugout and am excited to get started.

You have five weeks to assemble a squad ahead of our very first game against Wolverhampton Sporting Community, are you confident you can put together a team in time?

Yep, I think we will be ready, we'll be scouring the local area for players and holding trials. I'm especially keen to give second chances to young players who have been released from the bigger clubs, I have known too many young lads who were dumped acrimoniously and developed mental health problems. Of course not everyone can make it in the game, but I do believe more should be done by clubs to help those who they let go. This is something I feel passionately about.

 

What will be your primary aims for our maiden season?

During my discussions with Andy Parker, he told me he wants to aim for the play-off places this season, I think that is a good target to aim for. I would also like a run in the FA Vase, not least because the prize money incentives from getting through each round will help the club.

 

Are there any games you are particularly looking forward to?

Well for me as a Leicester native, the games against Hinckley and Heather St John's give me a chance to catch up with family and friends at a game.

I'm also excited for us to lock horns with Sutton United and Paget Rangers who are both our fellow Northern Brummies.

 

Finally, we have to say we have our fingers crossed for a cup tie with Macclesfield in the future, so we can see you lock horns with Robbie Savage again!

Haha, well that would be an interesting meeting for sure! Me and Robbie have put the events of 2002 behind us and I have apologised to him. But I'm sure there would be a friendly rivalry there for sure.

Edited September 7 by Rick87

[Rick87]

Friendly Fixtures Announced

1874 will play host to National League side Solihull Moors this month in what will be a firm test for Dion Dublin as he assembles his squad. Moors narrowly missed out on promotion to the EFL last season by losing the play-off final at Wembley on penalties. Northern Premier League club Ilkeston Town will also visit the Castle Vale Stadium in the concluding match before we take on Wolverhampton Community in our first competitive game on August 12th.

[Rick87]

Kit Reveal 2023/24

What do you make of our first kits? Available to buy at the ground or on 1874V.co.uk now!
The club has pledged to never change the home shirt more than once every two years, so supporters need not be ripped off by a minimal redesign each season.

The commity has chosen a striped design for our home shirts, to add to our distinct identity as a club.

  

Edited September 7 by Rick87

[danyates8]

Only just caught wind of this thread and wow, the graphics are exceptional and the storytelling up to this point is really engaging. I'll be following this one for sure! What a start.

[Rick87]

8 hours ago, danyates8 said:

Only just caught wind of this thread and wow, the graphics are exceptional and the storytelling up to this point is really engaging. I'll be following this one for sure! What a start.

Thanks mate, Had a hectic week so I've not had a chance to get started properly on this save yet. Hopefully when things settle down at the weekend I can start making some progress.