The subject of this Global Villans is the Columbus Lions. They are the official supporters’ group in Central Ohio which is in the Midwest of the USA like last time’s group, Chicago. The club came together in 2009 and were officially recognised by Aston Villa in the following year. Connor McBride runs the club and describes how the club came about, “I was watching Villa at a local soccer bar here in Columbus and when you see someone with a Villa shirt on it stands out in a crowd among all Arsenal, Man United, and Chelsea shirts. So, us few Villa fans started to become friends and made our presence known and we started to grow modestly.”
Since then, the club has grown and has a presence on social media where the 186 members get to chat about all things Villa. On matchdays, there is a core group of fans who meet to watch matches on television. The usual place is the Olentangy River Brewing Company, but the Everton game was used as a road trip to watch the game with fellow Ohio supporters’ group, the Cincinnati Lions.
Connor ensures that the group is all inclusive and wants to reflect the nature of football being for all. The only stipulation is that you are a true Villa fan. “We have quite a few stories of people who were nervous to show up but quickly realized they made lifelong friends. While it is true that we meet at a local brewery, it is also a coffee shop and is family friendly,” offered Connor.
“We meet to watch the weekend matches which start at 10am, or later, on Saturdays or 9am or later on Sundays, EST. The 7:30am kicks are a bit early and sometimes it is nice just to roll over in bed and turn the game on. I usually get there about 45 minutes before kick-off to make sure we have the TV, or projector, set up and on the correct channel”, said Connor. As part of the usual routine to get ready for members, Connor has a particular good luck charm for each game. He spreads out the club flag and lights the special ‘Unai Emery Prayer Candle’ that he had made.
The club is made up of a variety of individuals from a young age all the way up to retirees. As you would expect, there are a few expats from Birmingham who are still keen to share their love of the club despite being far from their original home. Interestingly, there are quite a few converts with wives and partners getting hooked too. “They really didn’t have any idea why you would get up early on the weekends to go to a local brewery just to watch a match”, explained Connor.
For those who don’t have roots local to Villa Park, Connor thinks that it is the traditional aspect of Villa that draw people to the club. It is also the history that pulls people in, and Connor recognised that the club “has a draw to it that most cannot explain and is the reason why we all say we didn’t choose Aston Villa, Villa chose us.”
One of my favourite questions is to see which Premier League rivals are not liked. It appears that the ‘big six’ are not well liked despite there being a Manchester United convert in the group. It was interesting to hear that Leeds United managed to irk the Columbus Lions during their tenure in the Premier League.
Connor’s thoughts on this season are very optimistic with “a dash of pessimism”. Like most Villa fans, Connor believes that Unai Emery is the right man for the job. Although Newcastle’s season just gone is a cautionary tale, Connor is hopeful of another top four finish for Villa as well as progressing to the later stages of the Champions League.
Other Lions Clubs in North America is a thing that Connor would dearly love to see. As the Chair of the Columbus Lions, he is keen to assist other clubs with their start up. He is aware of the humble beginnings with Columbus but urged anyone who wants to start then to do so. Connor summed up his wishes with a positive statement:
“It really isn’t about the number of members you have; it is about being a part of this great family.”
To finish, Connor talked about motivation and how they are centred around Villa and connection. “Our goal is to grow the Villa family and continue our charity work. I was privileged enough to host a large portion of North American members this summer when Villa came to play the [Columbus] Crew, and you will not meet a better group of people. We truly are a family.”
Photo Credits: Connor McBride