Yesterday I was extremely fortunate to be invited to play golf with the new CEO of Aston Villa in the Former Players Association Golf Day. Being on the course and then at dinner with legends of the club like Brian Little, Gary Shaw, Chris Nicholl, Peter Withe, Bruce and Neil Rioch, Davie Gibson, Derek Mountfield, Darren Bradley and Tony Hateley was just a dream come true for a life long Villa supporter.
Chris Nicholl told an entertaining story of the famous match against Leicester City in the League Cup in 1976 which the centre half scored all four goals in a 2-2 draw. The final goal has been rated as one of the finest in Villa's history. "One player ran at me so I dropped my left shoulder and passed the ball on my right foot, then another ran at me so a dropped my right shoulder and passed him on my left. But then I had a problem. I didn't have any more shoulders to drop. So I did what Brian Little always taught me. I panicked. And 40 yards out I hit the ball as hard as I could, and it went in top right." Brian Little, standing alongside Nicholl last night, just beamed.
What these players achieve together is far more than just their footballing legend.
Aston Villa is a community that stands up for good business. The Former Players Association is an example of the spirit in which the whole club, now under the ownership of Randy Lerner, operates. Ably led by Neil Rioch, the Former Players Association supports those who gave their all for the fans and for their sport in an age before WAGS and multi-million pound transfers, and who may now fall into need.
And taking part yesterday proved one more thing to me. Football is at the centre of the national character. It unites people across the world and can be a force for good in bonding the nation, providing an example of how to behave responsibly. In a world crying out for positive role models the more innovative clubs like Villa show that they can be a shining example of good business. Good luck to them!
