Our line-up

The Founders journey began with a simple idea among four friends and match-going Aston Villa fans: that what you wear to support your team shouldn't compromise your style.

We’re the award-winning broadcasters and content creators, Dan Rolinson, Dan Bardell and Max Stokes, and the acclaimed sportswear designer Rob Warner.

Inspired by William McGregor, the visionary founder of The Football League and a cornerstone of Aston Villa's rich history, we created Founders to bridge the gap between high-quality fashion and subtle football allegiance.

Tired of having to choose between premium brands, overtly official merchandise and poorly designed fan-wear, we poured our collective passion into crafting a brand that stands for uncompromised quality and unique design, allowing you to discreetly show your Villa pride.

Every piece in our collection combines artistic graphics - think stylised visuals of legendary players or the iconic Villa Park floodlights - with premium, durable clothing.

Our mission is to create high-quality, contemporary apparel that feels just as right on match days as it does in your daily life, all delivered to your door in just a few days.

Welcome to Founders, where your love for Villa meets your sense of style.

Dan Rolinson is a Sports Videographer for Reach PLC, with a specialist focus on Aston Villa. As a lifelong Villa fan and season ticket holder, he has turned his passion into his profession, producing videos and podcasts about the club for BirminghamLive.

He is widely known as the host of the podcast "Claret & Blue". The podcast provides analysis, discussion, and dollop of silliness around all things Aston Villa.

Now, after almost a decade working in media for Aston Villa fans, it's time to combine the creative production skills with an understanding of the fanbase to create a new venture: Founders.

 

Dan Bardell is a prominent Aston Villa podcaster and freelance broadcaster. Dan began his career in football media by creating fan content for his beloved club, writing for fan websites and building a strong online presence on "The Villa View".

Bardell has established himself as a familiar voice in football broadcasting, working for broadcasters such as Sky Sports, TalksSport & The Athletic.

He is known for his insightful analysis and, as a genuine fan, he often expresses his passion for everything claret and blue.

 

Max Stokes is the creator of "Villa On Tour," an incredibly popular YouTube channel dedicated to Aston Villa Football Club. Launched in 2017, the channel is known for providing fans with an immersive experience of following Aston Villa both home and away.

Stokes captures the matchday atmosphere, giving viewers a vicarious experience of attending games and experiencing the journey of a passionate fan. 

He is recognised within the Aston Villa fan community for his engaging content and his dedication to documenting the fan experience.

 

 

Rob Warner is a renowned football kit designer, passionate Aston Villa fan, and the co-presenter of "The Kit Breakdown." He has an extensive background in the industry, having designed for major brands such as Puma and Umbro. Notably, he is one of the few designers in history to have designed a World Cup-winning kit, specifically Italy from 2006. As a Villa supporter, he even managed to incorporate claret and blue elements into the coaches' and goalkeeper attire for that World Cup-winning Italian team.

After graduating, he joined Puma, eventually moving to Germany to work on football kits. He later transitioned to Umbro, overseeing performance apparel.

Warner now co-presents "The Kit Breakdown" from Spark Design Academy, a popular series that offers unique insights into the design, quality, and production of football kits and serves as Chief Innovation Officer for the premium gym-wear brand Squatwolf.