Aston Villa’s famous claret and blue strip originated in 1888 when the Football League was founded.

This was when the Midlands club first started wearing the colours after the kit changed quite radically in the very early days.

Initially the new colours were very similar to the chocolate and blue of 1886 but since 1893 the body of the kit has been claret with blue sleeves and predominantly white shorts.

During the 1970s, shirt and sports manufacturers began to influence designs, shirt logos appearing on the shirt.

This is when shirt designs began to change in line with the new manufacturers and subsequent shirt sponsorships.

Aston Villa were the first club to wear claret and blue and according to Tony Matthews the theme was a Scottish influence, combining the maroon of Hearts and the blue of Rangers, with the Scottish lion rampant included in the badge.

ASTON VILLA - A QUICK GUIDE

Villa were founded in 1874. Members of the Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel cricket team wanted to play a sport in the winter. Having watched a rugby match and regarded it too rough, they decided to form a football team. Their meeting took place under a gas lamp at the top of Heathfield Road in Aston.

They were founder members of the Football League in 1888, thanks to the vision of club director William McGregor, who was elected as the league’s chairman.

He wrote to club inviting them to form a league and Villa were among 12 founders. The others were Accrington, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Burnley, Derby County, Everton, Notts County, Preston North End, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Villa’s claret and blue colours were established around 1888, and since 1893 the shirt has been mainly claret with blue sleeves and white shorts.

Their most famous achievement was lifting the European Cup in 1982. Tony Barton was the manager when Villa beat Bayern Munich 1-0 in the European Cup final at De Kuip Stadium in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Peter Withe scored the winner on 67 minutes. Captain Dennis Mortimer lifted the trophy.

Villa have won the First Division title seven times, the FA Cup seven times and the League Cup five times.

Villa have played at Villa Park since 1897, across the way from Jacobean stately home Aston Hall.

It has a capacity of more than 42,000.