More than 130 international fans of top-flight English club Aston Villa converged on Cayman for an annual get-together.
US, Canadian and British supporters of the Birmingham-based club, which plays in claret and sky blue shirts and whose fans are dubbed ‘Lions’ or ‘Villans’, based themselves at Fidel Murphy’s Irish Pub and Restaurant for several days of activities, including appearances by stars of yesteryear.
Russell Homer, chairman of fan group Cayman Villans, which watches the club’s matches in Fidel Murphy’s, said, “We wanted it to be fun and for everybody to experience Cayman and enjoy themselves.”
Homer, speaking on 28 Feb, as fans watched their club take on Wolverhampton Wanderers, added, “People have been coming in all week. The organised events last until Monday.”
He added, “We also aimed to spread the word about Cayman and boost tourism as well.”
Leigh Hipkins, vice-chairman of the Cayman Villans, added it was “a cracking weekend” and that the visitors had enjoyed their time in the country.
Tim Yuan, who travelled to Cayman from Chicago with wife Chelsey and baby son Sebastian, said he became a Villa fan because he played as goalkeeper as a youngster and idolised US keepers Brad Friedel and Brad Guzan, who both played for the club.
Yuan, who works in technology sales, added, “We were down here last year and loved the Caymans. Chelsey and Sebastian are Aston Villa fans because of me.”
Earl Barrett, now a youth coach with Houston, Texas football club Rise, played for the club in the early 1990s and helped it win the League Cup in 1994 and also played for the English national side.
“I’ve had an absolutely amazing few days here. Cayman is great, what I’ve seen of it,” he said. “It’s definitely someplace I would want to come to with my wife and kids.”
Barrett was joined by Ian Taylor, another club hero of the 1990s and 2000s, and Tony Morley, who played for Villa between 1979-83.
Morley was part of the Villa team that won the League Championship in 1981 and the European Cup a year later.
Taylor, now club ambassador for Villa, said, “I’m here for a week, so I will see quite a lot of Cayman in the coming days. It looks great from what I’ve seen already.”
The gods of football, however, did not play ball with the international fans, who watched their side, fourth in the English Premier League, go down 2-0 in a shock defeat by the Wolves.
Taylor said, “I’m glad I’m here, not there, to be honest.”
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