Kit History
1 Jan 1881
1892
1905
1923
1930-1931
1946-1956
December 1956-1962
1957-FA Cup Final
1962-1963
1963-1964
1964-1965
1965-1966
1966-1967
1967-1968
1968-1969
1969-1973
1973-1974
1974-1975
1975-1976
1976-1981
1981-1982
1982 Eur Cup Final
1982-1983
1983-1984
1984-1985
1985-1987
1987-1989
1989-1990
1990-1993
1991-1993 Third
1993-1995
1994-1995 Third
1995-1996 3rd 96-97
1996-1997 3rd 97-98
1997-1998
1998-1999 3rd 99-00
1999-2000
2000-2001
2000-2001 Third
2001-2002
2002-2003
2003-2004
2004-2005
2005-2006
2006-2007
2007-2008
2007-2008 Third
2008-2009
2008-2009 Euro
2009-2010
Background
The first record of Aston Villa wearing a change kit comes from 1881 when they visited Edinburgh to play Heart of Midlothian. Because their shirts clashed, Villa borrowed a set of blue and white tops for the match. From 1892 Villa kept a set of white shirts as required by the Football League regulations of the time.
During the 20s and 30s, Villa's white change shirts were enlivened with claret and blue collars similar to those worn on their first choice tops and even a pair of horizontal bands.
JR (Anon) tells HFK that Villa continued to wear white until December 1956 when a new sky blue shirt was introduced. This was the first season that the club badge was worn on the shirts and culminated in an FA Cup win in 1957 when the team wore a dramatic pin striped shirt - JR asserts that their opponents, Manchester United, objected to Villa wearing the colours of their rivals, Manchester City. Sky blue shirts were worn when required until 1967 when white was restored.
In 1969 Tommy Docherty introduced the first flappy collars when setting about modernising the club's image. He also introduced a yellow and blue change kit, which lasted until 1975 when once again white shirts returned. White remained the alternative choice, with various trimmings, until a little known manufacturer, Henson, broke the mould in 1985 with a bold amber design featuring claret and blue horizontal bands on the upper chest, mirroring the home shirt.
Hummel took over in 1985, introducing first a blue and white version of their iconic halved shirt followed by a white shirt with black sleeves and violet trimmings. As the 90s wore on Villa's change kits became more radical and one of the most controversial was the green, black and red striped effort from 1993-95.
Diadora introduced an even more radical design in 2001 with a silver-grey shirt trimmed with fluorescent green piping matched with dark navy shorts. This was typical of the designs of the period that were created with an eye for the leisure wear market rather than what would be distinctive on the pitch.
White shirts combined with sky blue shorts have appeared regularly in the new millenium.