Aston Villa have launched their new club crest. The club had undertaken extensive research to find what the fans wanted from a new club crest to mark a new beginning for the club.

Next season will be the first whole season that the club has been owned by Randy Lerner. It will also be the first season that manager Martin O’Neill has been able to invest in his squad and prepare the players over the summer.

The new badge has a few small but important changes that reflect the new Villa. Firstly is the introduction of the letters F and C, which in a world where Football is about business, services and profits it demonstrates that the Aston Villa is a Football Club and that is what they intend to focus on.

The second is most important change is the star, used by the few successful clubs & countries to indicate their success in the most elite competitions. With the 25 year anniversary of the European Cup (Champions League of its day) victory over Bayern Munich approaching on the 26th May it seems fitting that the star is an integral part of the new design, and that it may serve as the inspiration needed to drive toward a similar success.

There is still focus on the Lion, which is no longer fragmented but unified to symbolise the togetherness of the club. Similarly the club motto is still part of the badge, it is a statement that Villa have not adhered to in recent seasons as they have been far from Prepared.

The decision to keep the shield is another attempt maintain the history as it is similar to the crest on the old Trinity Road stand. The shield which looks like a family coat of arms, which is exact what the club are trying to promote the Aston Villa family.