End of an era | OneFootball

After lots of thinking and debating, I have decided that now is the time to call it a day on AVillaFan.Com. I will finish the season and then walk away from something that has been a big part of my life for such a long time.

When I first started the website back in 2006, it was with the sole purpose of giving Aston Villa supporters a voice. Back then, fan sites were limited, and it was an alternative to the official website where fans could express how they felt about all things Claret and Blue.

Over the years, I have made some friends who, in some cases, have made huge contributions to the website, including blogging, social media, the forum and more recently, the podcast. I thank you all.

Over the years, the club has had good times and bad times. The lows coming in 2016 when we were eventually relegated, but then we have seen the extreme highs, including this season’s Champions League campaign and who knows, wouldn’t it be nice if it ended in some silverware?

The forum was once a big part of the website and one of the most active Aston Villa forums on the internet. It is here where a group of people from all corners of the globe came together and became friends, which resulted in an end-of-season party at the Adventurers pub in 2014. We named it Peevfest, paying tribute to Peever – a forum member who travelled over from Canada.

Over the years, we have also lost some people. In February 2024, we lost a true Villan, Michael Steede. Many on this website would have known him as LoyalVillan. Mike was always a happy-go-lucky kind of guy who always made time for those around him and loved the Villa, travelling up and down the country to see his beloved side play week in week out. RIP Mike – Holtender in the Sky.

Time to say goodbye

Now is the right time to call it a day. There are a lot of new fan sites and podcasts giving Villa fans more choices than they could ever possibly manage. People who can offer more time and dedication that running a website requires.

We will continue to run as normal until the summer, including the Prediction League, but I would just like to thank all those who have contributed or supported the website over the 19 years we have been up and running.

I will still be at Villa Park every home game, my love for the club will never die.

Now, let’s see the season out,including our trip to Paris this coming week and our trip to Wembley later this month. Up the Villa!