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]

image via BBC 

Oh to be 45 years old AND a Billionaire.  Cleveland Browns and Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner is the guy who flies under the radar of Malcolm Glazer at Man U and the nightmarish duo of Tom Hicks/George Gillette Jr. at Liverpool, but has been quietly assembling quite a little squad for himself.  With Martin O’Neill at the helm, Villa now sits tied for 4th with the high-spending Liverpool, the team they face tonight at Anfield.  The Guardian has a surprising look at the relationship between owner / manager / supporters.