Decades of Aston Villa pictures are brought to book

Now his work can be seen, in many cases for the first time, as part of a new limited edition book, My Camera, My Club, which is due for release later this year.

Featuring more than 600 images, the book tells the story of the club through the lens of Weaver’s camera, from the early 1990s and the reign of Ron Atkinson, right through to more recent times and the club’s battle to escape the Championship.

Weaver, who was employed by Villa as a matchday photographer until retirement in 2018, decided to publish the book while sifting through his collection.

“I was sat at home one day looking through my catalogue and it occurred to me I had quite a library of photos. I thought it would be nice if I could collate them and that is where the idea of doing a book came from.”

Though Weaver was employed by the club as a matchday photographer for 25 years, most of the images in the book are previously unpublished.

Indeed, his route into the profession was far from a usual one and the close association with Villa owed plenty to chance.

“I’ve been a fan of the club all my life and attended my first game in 1960,” explains Weaver. “Photography was just a hobby but in 1990 I briefly found myself out of work and with a bit of spare time on my hands started taking my camera down to the match, taking pictures from the terraces.

“Obviously, it wasn’t too long before I was spotted by a steward and while they told me I shouldn’t be taking photos, they did suggest I got in contact with the club. So I wrote to the club secretary Steve Stride and it ended up with Abdul Rashid, who was then the commercial manager, sending me four photography passes for the 1991-92 season and things got started from there.

“Initially I took photos which were then sold in Reg Thacker’s programme shop. Later on I took photos for the club store.

“When they stopped selling, I was asked to take photos in the hospitality areas, including shots of the mascots and players receiving their man-of-the-match awards.”

Weaver’s collection offers a behind the scenes glimpse at Villa Park on a matchday, while documenting the many varied ways in which a modern club operates.

In addition to action shots, there are a number of photos from various kit launches and sponsors’ events to which he was invited over the years.

Memorable moments include the time Nigel Kennedy was given a private tour of the ground, before playing an impromptu set for a gathering of about a dozen in the North Stand hospitality suite.

Weaver was also invited to photograph former club secretary Steve Stride’s retirement party, which featured another surprise gig, this time from Squeeze’s Glenn Tilbrook.

Captions for each photograph have been written by Villa’s former programme editor and one-time Express & Star journalist, Rob Bishop. Former Holte End hero Dion Dublin has penned the foreword.

“I was lucky to be able to photograph some great players over the years and Dion was among them,” says Weaver.

“Dalian Atkinson was another great character. One of the team photos in the book is from when Muller yoghurt were the sponsors. I caught the players just after Dalian had thrown his yoghurt in the direction of the photographers and it had hit the club snapper, Terry Weir!

“When I look back now I realise I’ve been really privileged to see so many special moments, both on and off the pitch.

“You definitely get a buzz while photographing a match and being part of the fabric. It is a huge thrill.”

My Camera, My Club is due for publication in July. Anyone ordering before May 9 can have their name included in the book.

For more details on how to pre-order visit https://www.facebook.com/cameraclubav/