Villa Vision: A Timeline of the Visionary Programme

In December, the Aston Villa Foundation’s Villa Vision programme will celebrate its sixth year of operation, delivering workshops, vision screenings, and eye testing in primary and secondary schools across Birmingham.

Designed and delivered by the Aston Villa Foundation’s dedicated eyecare team, Villa Vision helps raise awareness of the importance of eye health for both children and adults within the local communities of Birmingham.

The three-time award winning initiative, the first of its kind in the UK, has celebrated a number of historic highlights throughout its six-year run:

 

2020: Launch of Villa Vision and Match of the Day

Villa Vision officially launched operations in December 2019, teaming up with Aston University's Optometry School and optical lens supplier Essilor Vision for Life to bridge a gap in knowledge surrounding the importance of having an eye test and how preventative measures can ensure, among a host of benefits, a lifetime of good vision.

The project was featured on Match of the Day in 2020, with Aston Villa Defender Matty Cash joining pupils from Hodge Hill Primary School virtually to showcase the impact the programme has in the local communities to Villa Park.

2021: His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales learns more about Villa Vision

As part of his visit to the club’s Bodymoor Heath training ground to officially open the new High Performance Centre, The Prince of Wales met staff, partners and participants of some of the Foundation’s programmes.

During his time with the Foundation, the Prince of Wales was introduced to three projects, including Villa Vision, to witness the impact of the club’s official charity in helping to improve the lives of local people during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond.

2022: Villa Vision win big at Football Business Awards

In May 2022, Villa Vision was successful in winning Best Corporate Social Responsibility Project at the Football Business Awards.

Judges from the Football Business Awards spoke highly of the Villa Vision project, stating: “The judges at the awards thought this was a very innovative and unique project, and they liked the collaboration between partners – none of whom could have done this alone. The scheme operates in a particularly challenging area in terms of the poverty on the club’s doorstep. A brilliant initiative.”

2023: Villa Vision expands into Secondary Schools

After hitting 10,000 individual interventions with children in local primary schools, the programme began working with Summit Learning Trust to establish the programme into secondary schools for the first time.

Already delivering in all four primary schools within the Trust, the initiative successfully piloted the programme with Year 7 students from Cockshut Hill Secondary School in May 2023, expanding the initiative into all three secondary schools within the Trust from the beginning of the 2023/24 academic year.

2024: Project Manager, Nikhil Sonpal, wins Community Captain Award

During the Foundation’s dedicated Premier League ‘More than a Game’ fixture, the Foundation was pleased to announce Villa Vision project manager Nikhil Sonpal had been named as the club’s Community Captain. 

Nikhil was chosen as Aston Villa's Community Captain due to his dedication to the Foundation’s Villa Vision project, for which he had been the optometrist and project manager. TV presenter and Foundation ambassador Adil Ray was pitchside to present the award, with Aston Villa captain John McGinn meeting Nikhil post-match to discuss the importance of the project.

2025: Villa Vision wins Times Higher Education Award

Recording nearly 20,000 individual interventions with their strategic support and funding on the Villa Vision programme, Aston University took home the 2025 Times High Education award for Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community.

Aston University, alongside the project’s other funders and supporters - the Premier League, Professional Footballers' Association, EssilorLuxottica’s charitable Foundation OneSight and the Wesleyan Foundation - have been instrumental in the project and its success in countless ways, leading to a successful and impactful community engagement partnership.

Reflecting over the development of the project, Villa Vision Optometrist and Project Manager Nikhil Sonpal said: “The last six years in developing and leading the Villa Vision programme have been an incredible journey, and the impact we’ve seen has far exceeded all of our expectations.

“As Project Manager and Optometrist, I couldn’t be more proud of how this initiative has supported and empowered our community, helping to make eye health accessible to those who need it most.

“Seeing the difference we’ve made together has been truly inspiring, and we’re incredibly excited to continue serving our local community by educating, supporting, and raising awareness of the importance of good eye health.”