Aston Villa Football Club, commonly known as Villa, is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. They currently compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Established in 1874, Villa Park has been their home ground since 1897. Aston Villa is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in England, having secured seven Football League First Division titles, seven FA Cups, five League Cups, one European Cup, and one UEFA Super Cup. Since the 1880s, Aston Villa has been a prominent English club renowned for their quick and skillful combination passing. Under the guidance of Scotsman George Ramsay, who became the world's first professional football manager in 1886, the club played a significant role in the transition to professionalism in 1885. Furthermore, it was a Villa director, William McGregor, who founded the world's first Football League in 1888. George Ramsay's leadership yielded six League Championships and six FA Cups, establishing Aston Villa as the most successful club in England from the 1890s until the 1970s. In the 1930-31 season, Villa set an all-time top-flight record by scoring 128 goals. However, the club experienced a decline in the mid-1930s, followed by a period of mediocrity in the 1940s and 1950s. The 1960s marked a sharp decline, culminating in a takeover by Doug Ellis in 1968 and Villa's only relegation to the third tier of English football in 1969-70. The club made a comeback under manager Ron Saunders in the mid-1970s, securing their seventh top-flight league title in 1980-81. Aston Villa became only the fourth English club to win the European Cup in 1981-82, followed by the European Super Cup in 1982. Aston Villa was one of the founding members of the Premier League in 1992, making them one of just three clubs to have been founding members of both the Football League and the Premier League. In the 1990s, the club regularly qualified for European competitions. However, they faced challenges keeping up with the significant investments made by other leading clubs. American billionaire Randy Lerner took over the club from Doug Ellis but eventually sold his stake after Villa's relegation from the Premier League in the 2015-16 season. The club regained promotion to the Premier League in 2019. Throughout its history, Aston Villa has spent 109 seasons in the top-flight, the second-highest among all clubs, and has produced 76 England internationals, the second-highest number for any club. They currently hold the 5th position in the all-time English top-flight table since its establishment in 1888 and rank as the seventh most successful club in English football based on competitive honors. Aston Villa maintains fierce local rivalries, particularly with Birmingham City, with whom they have contested the Second City derby since 1879. They also have a local rivalry with West Bromwich Albion, and matches between the two sides are known as the West Midlands derby. The club's traditional kit features claret shirts with sky blue sleeves, white shorts, and sky blue socks, while their badge depicts a rampant lion. Aston Villa is currently owned by the NSWE Group, a company owned by Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris and American billionaire Wes Edens.