Villa and England have enjoyed a formidable partnership - with a record-breaking total of 67 claret and blue stars donning the Three Lions of England.

Villa legends Howard Vaughton and Arthur Brown scored a remarkable nine goals between them on their debuts for England in 1882, while Billy Walker scored England's first ever goal at Wembley. Fast forward to the present and stars like Ashley Young and Gabby Agbonlahor continue the club's dedication to the nation.

The 09/10 away kit celebrates three centuries of three lions.

Aston Villa and Nike drew inspiration from the archives about our contribution to international football.

Looking to the future, the latest sports apparel innovation and technology has been utilised by Nike to help the current crop of players take their game to the next level. The visual design of the kit is intended to reflect the personality and style of the current Villa team (which often fields nine English born players and currently has five regular England internationals) whilst respecting the history of the club.

New kit features include a 'football white' shirt with a 'Villan red' trim, 'midnight navy' shorts and white socks. 'AVFC 1874' is stitched into the back of the shorts while 'AVFC' is present on the front of socks and short drawcord tips. The club's mantra 'Prepared' is engineered into the side-seam of the shirts whilst also being present on the Villa crest. In addition, the kit is made from Nike Dri-Fit, an innovative technology that enhances the performances of players by keeping them drier, cooler and lighter. It achieves this by drawing sweat away from the body to the fabric's surface for fast drying, while its three-dimensional construction allows for more air space around the skin to reduce clinging.

Leo Sandino-Taylor, Nike UK Head of Corporate Communications said: "Aston Villa has some exciting English players in their squad who could make a real contribution to international football in the next few years. Their current success with the National team has provided the perfect opportunity to pay tribute to the club's England connections and create a technologically innovative kit that Villa fans and players will be proud to wear."