Birmingham City and Aston Villa's 10 most famous fans | OneFootball

FLW looks at the famous faces who support either of the Second City's historic clubs

Birmingham City and Aston Villa haven't faced off against each other for over seven years, but that hasn't made the rivalry which splits the city of Birmingham and the surrounding areas any less fierce.

Blues currently find themselves in the Championship under Chris Davies, although the ambition shown from Knighthead Capital Management, which includes the new Sports Quarter complex, cannot be underestimated.

Villa, meanwhile, were able to re-establish their position in the Premier League after three seasons in the EFL, and have since become European regulars under Unai Emery, which culminated in the ending of a 30-year-long trophy drought in May as they defeated SC Freiburg in the UEFA Europa League final in Istanbul.

It remains to be seen when the Second City derby will next be played out between the historic clubs, but that doesn't mean that either are short of high-profile supporters.

With that said, FLW have looked at the 10 most notable faces you could spot at St. Andrew's or Villa Park on any given matchday.

Birmingham City

Jude Bellingham

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It is impossible not to associate Birmingham's recent history with Jude Bellingham, who continues to shine at the highest level for Real Madrid and England.

In 2019, the playmaker became the club's youngest-ever player and goalscorer within a matter of weeks under Pep Clotet, and after 44 appearances and five goals, moved to Borussia Dortmund for £25m.

The Three Lions ace then moved to the Santiago Bernabéu for an initial £88.5m just three years later, and he has since gone on to win a whole manner of awards and trophies on a collective and individual scale while featuring for the Spanish giants.

However, he is still very much up to date with developments in B9, having been a part of the unveiling of the Powerhouse Stadium, whilst also attending the 2-2 draw with Barcelona in pre-season.

Steven Knight

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Steven Knight has also been a prominent behind-the-scenes figure since Knighthead's takeover, which will feel like a dream given his association with the club.

The creator of Peaky Blinders was recently an executive producer on the Amazon Prime docuseries which told the story of Tom Brady's involvement on the board to an American audience, as well as also being involved in the unveiling of the new stadium.

In March 2026, he also expressed his hopes of seeing Bellingham in royal blue by the time he is 28 years of age.

Jeff Lynne

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ELO frontman, Jeff Lynne, was born in Erdington in 1947 and was raised in another Birmingham suburb, Shard End.

Even though the first of those areas would be seen as 'Villa territory', that didn't stop the musician from becoming a lifelong Bluenose, with the band's most famous track, Mr Blue Sky, played before every match at St. Andrew's.

It has also been debated that another song, Birmingham Blues, is in reference to Lynne's love for the club, where he was known to have formed a strong friendship with its greatest-ever player, Trevor Francis.

Mike Skinner

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Mike Skinner is another musician hugely associated with Birmingham City, having grown up in West Heath despite being born in Barnet, North London.

The 47-year-old, who leads the Streets, has been seen donning the club's shirts in live performances for many years, including the Reading Festival of 2004.

In recent times, Brave St Andrew was penned in 2024 and used as the title track for the aforementioned Amazon Prime docuseries, with Blues then adopting the concept of the '12 Apostles' into their 150th-anniversary season of 2025/26.

Jasper Carrott

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Jasper Carrott - born Robert Norman Davis - is another famous Bluenose, having attended matches at St. Andrew's for several decades now, whilst also forming an infamous friendship with the club's all-time great, Francis.

Having achieved an OBE in 2003 whilst also winning accolades for his work as a presenter and comedian, Carrott was also once a director of Blues, and once had a hospitality suite at the stadium named in his honour, although it has since been renamed to the Garrison.

Aston Villa

Prince William

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Undoubtedly, Villa's most famous supporter is the current heir to the British throne, Prince William.

Despite being born in London, the royal revealed that he chose to support the B6 side instead of following the crowd of his school friends, who followed the more fashionable Manchester United and Chelsea.

“I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table that could give me more emotional rollercoaster moments," he said.

He is often seen at Villa matches, though, including the 2019 Championship play-off final against Derby County at Wembley, and more recently, their Europa League success in Türkiye.

David Cameron

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David Cameron was UK Prime Minister between the years of 2010 and 2016, making him yet another famous supporter of Aston Villa.

The 59-year-old also hails from London, but is the nephew of William Dugdale, who oversaw matters in the Villa Park boardroom between 1975 and 1982, during which the club appointed legendary manager, Ron Saunders, and won the First Division championship.

It is claimed that Cameron started supporting the club after their European Cup triumph over Bayern Munich in 1982, although his loyalty was once questioned after once saying: "(Britain is a shining example of) Where you can support Man Utd, the Windies and Team GB all at the same time. Of course, I'd rather you supported West Ham."

Tom Hanks

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Two-time Academy Awards winner, Tom Hanks, is another well-known Villa supporter despite coming from Concord, California.

In fact, his initial reason for supporting the Birmingham club is peculiar in itself, as he admitted on the Graham Norton Show: “It came to pass because the very first time I came to London, the football scores were on in the morning and it was all these cities I didn’t quite understand.

"Where is Stoke? Where is Blacksworth? Where is Slough? I didn’t know. And then along came the score…‘Aston Villa’. I said, ‘Aston Villa: what a beautiful sounding vacation paradise. I’ll lay in the sun, bring me a piña colada. I’ll spend two weeks in Aston Villa.”

One of his most-recent appearances in B6 came for the 3-3 draw against Liverpool in 2024, which secured UEFA Champions League qualification.

Tony Iommi / Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath)

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Rounding off this list are two members of Black Sabbath, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler.

The latter was born in Aston in 1949, whilst Iommi was raised in nearby Handsworth, but both have become high-profile Villa fans alongside Ozzy Osbourne, who passed away in July 2025 just weeks after the band's final live performance at Villa Park.

“I think every kid in Aston dreamed about playing for the Villa," Butler once said, whilst he and Osbourne also featured in the club's promotional video for the 2024/25 home shirt, and one of Black Sabbath's most famous songs, Crazy Train, is now the walkout song at Villa Park.