Villa are about to embark on a very special season - and the club's programme will be celebrating the event throughout the campaign.

This is our 100th season in top flight football, a feat previously only achieved by Everton in 2002-03.

Over the coming months the Villa News & Record will be looking back at every season Villa have played in the top flight - both the First Division and the Premier League - as well as turning the spotlight on Villa's star names and famous games down the years.

There will also be a complete A-Z of all the players - more than 700 of them - who have represented the club in the top division since the formation of the Football League in 1888.

We kick off against West Ham with a spotlight on the first Football League season of 1888-89, a look back to the inaugural Premier League campaign, a profile of Villa's record appearance holder Charlie Aitken - and an amazing opening day at Villa Park. But that's not all.

The new-look programme, which again costs just £3, is packed with fascinating features and outstanding photography.

The West Ham issue includes the thoughts of caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald, plus:

An in-depth interview with Stewart Downing
A chat with Marc Albrighton
Stan Collymore's column
The run-down on our opponents
Villa's summer diary
Action from our game against Valencia
Supporters Club news
A classic Ron Atkinson tale
All the news from our reserves and youth teams

Make you don't miss it!

To ensure you collect a full set of this season's commemorative programmes, why not take out a subscription?

Prices start from £57 for delivery to UK addresses. The charge for Europe is £94, with the Rest of the World zone one at £139 and zone two at £159.

For more details, write to Aston Villa FC Subscriptions, ProgrammeMaster Ltd., 1st Floor, Mermaid House, 2, Puddle Dock, London EC4V 3DS, or click here.

The subscription covers all Barclays Premier League home games. Programmes for cup-ties must be ordered separately.

Tickets are still available for this weekend's clash with the Hammers - click here to snap up some seats.