In the cash rich environment that is world football, it is not often that you see clubs turn down big money deals. Barcelona did it for years by turning down shirt sponsors, only to finally give in and go the admirable route of doing a deal with Unicef that actually helped raise money for the global charity. Now, according to Reuters Aston Villa has foregone a new shirt sponsor in favor of doing a deal with Acorn Hospice, which looks after “700 life-limited children and their families in the midlands.” Talk about giving back to the community! This is a gesture that shows how important clubs are to local communities, and is a reminder that the soccer plays a bigger role within their communities than we often realize. On a side note, Randy Lerner, Aston Villa’s American owner spent $7 million to “renovate a derelict pub near the stadium’s famous Holte End because it was part of the club’s history.” Lerner has definitely endeared himself to the Villa faithful and shown that an American owner can run an English club in a manner that grows it at the global level, while understanding and preserving the past.

[Source Reuters]