Chris Heck posts Aston Villa statement and gives 'watch this space' tease
Aston Villa's president of business operations Chris Heck has updated supporters on the club's plans to celebrate its 150th anniversary.
AV150 will see a year-long celebration of the club’s fans, players, history and heritage, led by Heck and his team. Supported by the AV150 Honorary Board, the club have many projects in place to commemorate the anniversary.
The Honorary Board will provide input to planning and designing events and activities, represent the club at inaugurations, celebrations and formal occasions and also support with communication and media activity related to the anniversary season.
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Members of the board are Mervyn King, Guy Rippon, Marisa Ewers, Rob Bishop, Ian Taylor, Brian Little, Dennis Mortimer, Katharine Merry, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Guri Nandra, Aaron Jones, Pam Bridgewater and David Bridgewater.
Heck took to social media platform X to deliver a statement about the club's plans, which can be read below...
"As all of you know, the recently begun 2024/25 campaign is our 150th Anniversary Season, and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to share this milestone with all of you. Now that things are up and running on the pitch, I would like to give an update on what we have lined up for our fans, both for those of you closer to home and overseas.
"Our AV150 Honorary Board have been working together with my team to deliver an unforgettable 2024/25 season that does justice to your beloved club, its storied history and pays tribute to all fans, players and custodians of Aston Villa past and present.
"We’ve also spent the time to go through more than 700 fan stories and memories submitted through the club’s website, with the overwhelmingly consistent themes being family, tradition, heritage and above all pride in our club. We’ve naturally, therefore, looked to reflect those in our planning.
"I am delighted to be able to share with you some of the key highlights:
We have commissioned - after consultation with the AV150 Honorary Board - a striking new statue, which will be situated in the area behind the North Stand and unveiled towards the end of the 24/25 season
We have engaged Jamie Cooper to create a unique piece of artwork, capturing the full 150-year history of Aston Villa, and our plan will be to display the original within Villa Park
A Fan Wall will be unveiled in early 2025; look out for more details - including how to get involved - in the coming months
We will launch an All Time XI selection process, giving fans across the world the opportunity to select the club's greatest team from more than 1,000 first team players
We will select a home fixture to be the occasion at which we formally mark our 150th Anniversary at Villa Park, with the match to be identified in the coming months. Details will be shared with fans in due course
We will take the opportunity of our home draw against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League in October to commemorate our 1982 European Cup triumph
Our Retail team has been working tirelessly to develop a range of AV150 merchandise and memorabilia - including an official AV150 hardback photo book - to be available both in-store and online
We are working with various local organisations and cultural institutions to help bring to life the history of the club throughout the region, more details of which will be shared throughout the season
The Aston Villa Foundation is developing a special AV150 syllabus as part of their school outreach work in the local community, aiming to engage young people across local communities with the history of our illustrious club
Finally, our Content and Marketing teams have plans for a huge variety of AV150-related content, involving current and former players, managers and of course fans...watch this space!
Naturally these are only some of the key highlights, and we have further plans that will materialise throughout the year - keep your eyes on our AV150 website, as well as the club's other communication channels and social media accounts for the latest news!
"Lastly, I hope you are as excited as I am for the coming AV150 Champions League season, and I can promise we will do everything we can to create something truly befitting of your great club and set the standard for similar anniversaries around the world."