Aston Villa is delighted to unveil the Honorary Anniversary Board ahead of the club’s 150th anniversary season.
The Board is comprised of a selection of former players, managers, community, fan and club representatives, and will be at the heart of ensuring our anniversary campaign in 2024/25 is a fitting tribute to Aston Villa.
The Honorary Anniversary Board will play three key roles:
- Providing input to planning and designing events and activities
- Representing the club at inaugurations, celebrations and formal occasions
- Supporting with communication and media activity related to the anniversary season
The club is putting together a plan to deliver an unforgettable season that does justice to our beloved Villa, its storied history and pays tribute to all fans, players and custodians past and present.
Supporters can also play their part by sharing memories, which the club will collate and build into our plans, of their time supporting the club via the link below.
Share your Villa memories
Learn more about each of the Board members below…
Honorary Board Members
Lord King of Lothbury, Mervyn King
Lord King is an economist and public servant who served as Governor of the Bank of England between 2003-2013. He was appointed a life peer by the Queen in 2013, entering the House of Lords as Baron King of Lothbury. Lord King joined Aston Villa’s Board of Directors in 2016, citing it as a “privilege” to serve the club he has supported all his life.
Guy Rippon
Guy joined Aston Villa as Head of Foundation in 2016 and has overseen a significant growth of the club’s charity over the course of the last seven years. Prior to that, Guy had an extensive career spanning 25 years in community and sport development roles across local authorities, the Football Foundation, the English Football League and Coventry City.
Marisa Ewers
A high-class defensive midfielder in her playing days, Ewers joined Aston Villa in July 2019 and helped the club to win the FA Women’s Championship in her maiden season. The Hamburg native played a key role as captain as the club established itself in the Super League before calling time on her playing career in 2022. Ewers undertook a number of key operational roles within the Women’s set-up before becoming General Manager in March last year.
Rob Bishop
After following Aston Villa’s fortunes as a journalist for Birmingham Mail, Sports Argus and Birmingham Post, Rob joined the club as Editor of the official programme, the Villa News & Record, in 2001. His time covering the club has seen Rob take in several European trips, 11 finals and semi-finals at Wembley, two promotions and much more. A go-to source of Villa knowledge, he recently compiled Aston Villa:150 years, a book detailing every squad from every season in the club’s history.
Ian Taylor
Lifelong supporter Taylor fulfilled his childhood dreams when he signed for Aston Villa from Sheffield Wednesday in 1994. The all-action midfielder pulled on his beloved claret and blue for nine years and made nearly 300 appearances for the club en route to becoming a fan favourite at Villa Park. Taylor’s place in Villa’s illustrious history was cemented when he lashed home a volley against Leeds United at Wembley as the club won the League Cup in 1996. He remains synonymous with Villa to this day via his role as a club ambassador.
Brian Little
Little won trophies as both player and manager of Aston Villa during a distinguished career. A long-haired striker during his playing days, he came through the youth ranks at Villa Park and went on to play over 300 times for the club before injury brought his career to a premature end in 1980 at the age of 26. Little helped Villa win the League Cup on two occasions as a player, in 1975 and 1977, later returning to win the competition as manager in 1996. He remains involved with Villa via his role as a club ambassador.
Dennis Mortimer
Mortimer remains a central figure in the club’s history after captaining Villa to the European Cup in 1982. The 1-0 win against Bayern Munich will forever be remembered by everyone associated with the club, but the midfielder’s legacy stretches far beyond that famous night in Rotterdam. In his decade-long stay as a Villan, Mortimer led the club to our seventh and last Division One title, while also lifting the League Cup, Community Shield and European Super Cup.
Katharine Merry
Merry is a trailblazer on and off the athletics track. The Warwickshire native and ardent Villa fan won a bronze medal in the 400m at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, becoming the fastest woman in the world over that distance a year later. Merry moved into the media when her athletics career drew to a close and covered several major events in addition to appearing on many high-profile TV shows. She became the first female in-stadium announcer at an Olympics when she worked at the most recent Games in Tokyo.
Thomas Hitzlsperger
An 18-year-old Hitzlsperger joined Aston Villa after leaving Bayern Munich in 2000, and he quickly grew into an important player for the club. Nicknamed ‘Der Hammer’ for his thunderous left foot, the German scored a series of stunning goals during his five-year stay at Villa Park. The midfielder won over 50 caps for his country during a stellar career, and he’s gone on to enjoy success off the pitch since hanging up his boots. Hitzlsperger rose to the role of CEO at Stuttgart in his homeland, while he’s also pursued business interests. The 41-year-old came out as gay following his retirement from playing and has been a major advocate for equality ever since.
Guri Nandra
Aston Villa has been an integral part of Guri’s life for as long as he can remember. He was brought up in and around Villa Park shadowing his father, who worked at the stadium. Guri is an integral part of Punjabi Villans, a devoted fan group with roots tracing back to Punjab, India. The group work closely with the club to foster equality, diversity and inclusivity within Villa. Guri is passionate about representing Villa supporters from minority backgrounds to enhance their relationship with the club to help improve their matchday experience.
Aaron Jones
Aaron is a member of Aston Villa Disability Supporters Association, working closely with the club to improve accessibility and the matchday experience at Villa Park. He is an avid Villa fan and follows the club up and down the country with his teenage son. Aaron is passionate about accessibility in football for neuro-diverse and all disabled supporters.
Pam Bridgewater
Pam grew up hearing tales about two of the greatest players in Villa’s history – Pongo Waring and Frank Broome both lived with her grandparents during the 1930s. So it was a dream come true when she landed a job in the club’s promotions department in 1978. After a brief spell away from the club, she has enjoyed unbroken service since the early 1990s, and is responsible for a host of administrative duties. She is currently one of Villa’s Under-21 co-ordinators.
David Bridgewater
Popularly known as “Bridge”, David has been a Villa supporter since the early 1960s, and few people can claim to know more about the club. He was presented by former chairman Doug Ellis with a trophy for attending 1,000 Villa games, and until the intervention of Covid he had not missed a first-team match since October 1973. He also travels all over the country to attend every Under-21 fixture. An avid programme collector who contributes to the Villa News & Record, Bridge has a collection which any Villa fan would envy.
