Villa unveil charity sponsorship

Aston Villa have announced a shirt partnership with West Midlands-based charity Acorns Children's Hospice.

The deal will see the charity's logo being carried on the club's shirts for free throughout the 2008/9 season.

The Premier League's chief executive Richard Scudamore said the deal was the first of its kind in the top flight.

"Credit must go to Villa for being the first Premier League club to use its shirt sponsor to highlight and promote its charity partnership," he said.

"I am sure Acorns' association with Aston Villa will be of great help in raising awareness and funds for all the excellent work they undertake.

"The power of football and the power of the Premier League has long been something that companies have tapped into to reach audiences throughout the country and increasingly, across the globe."

Acorns, which was established in 1983, cares for life-limited children and their families in the Midlands.

The charity has three hospices across the region, in Birmingham, Walsall and Worcester.

Villa have supported Acorns since 2006 and offered a sponsorship deal after being told Acorns needed to care for an extra 1,000 children.

A very noble thing to do and should be a lead that can easily be followed by the bigger clubs.  Well played Villa!

I agree, it's a fantastic and very honorable thing to do by Villa, well done! Our shirt sponsor is worth about £7,5 millions/year I think, quite a lot of money but to replace it by a charity would worth so much more to a lot of people.

I really hope more clubs will make a move like this, big credits to Villa on this one. Well done guys!

Well done Villa !! 

Do you think LFC might consider Zoe's Place ?? 

Well done Villa !! 

Do you think LFC might consider Zoe's Place ?? 

Excellent idea Smiggs  if Villa can do it we can do it

A truly noble thing to do. 

If only we didn't have these two idiots in charge and £30 million of interest payments a year.

Makes you think doesn't it.

Fair play to the guys

Superb gesture by Aston Villa.

It will give them a lot of credability on and off the pitch by doing this.

A lot of credit must go to Randy Learner, there American owner !!
Oh how different people can influence there supporters / community so differently.

Well done to all concerned.

Good for Villa. I'd love to see the Liverpool shirts sporting some kind of charity, perhaps one even affiliated with the club like the Hillsborough Justice Campaign.

What an excellent idea. Nice to see football clubs do things for charities.

i hope Liverpool do something like this, but with our current greedy owners i doubt that will happen.

Barcalona have done this with there Unicef sponsorship, really admirable

Does this mean that the club won't recieve funds through kit sponsorship?

Does this mean that the club won't recieve funds through kit sponsorship?

Nope I think what will happen is they will donate a certain amount to the charity and raise awareness of it across the country.