Introducing The Holte Roar: A new voice for Aston Villa

That thought has been the driving force over recent weeks, as preparations have been made ahead of The Holte Roar’s launch.

It has been an exciting time. Not often do experienced industry professionals come together to strategise and build a new media outlet dedicated to covering one of England’s greatest football clubs.

That’s a category Villa very much belong to. As co-founders of the Football League in 1888, former European champions, and the sixth most successful team in the land, there’s no question of Villa’s place among England’s pre-eminent clubs.

Whether that standing is reflected in today’s media coverage is more debatable, though. Typically, news on the reigning Europa League holders lags way behind that of the Premier League’s fabled ‘Big Six’.

The unofficial emergence of this exclusive cohort around a decade ago coincided with a period in which Villa’s stock dropped depressingly low. No-one could reasonably believe for most of the 2010s that the club was living up to their lofty reputation.

The term ‘sleeping giant’ has been associated with Villa for several decades. Yet, in recent times, it has felt less applicable. After all, fans are growing accustomed to heroic European nights and competing towards the top of the table.

It’s partly why we’re so thrilled to launch a new media platform at this point in the Villans' journey. The club are on the up and there is demand for the famous Aston Villa to receive a bigger media spotlight.While there are many excellent journalists who report on the club, national outlets typically pay the Villans a cursory level of attention. Local journalism is struggling to find its place in the ever-shifting media landscape, and Villa analysis has consequently suffered.

In that void, countless low-brow, clickbait outlets have emerged online, most of which are driven by sensationalism and content spamming.

Then there’s fan media, a space in which Villa is well represented, but differs from the depth of reporting demanded by traditional journalism.

In short: there’s a gap in Villa’s reporting. There’s room for a new, insightful and engaging platform that offers regular news and updates, without bombarding readers with a surplus of subpar content.

At The Holte Roar, we want to fill that vacuum. More importantly, we know we can.

It’s why we settled on our name. The Holte End has long been the beating heart of Villa Park: The great bank of support behind the goal, where the noise is loudest and the feeling runs deepest. The roar that rises from it is the sound of a fanbase that has never stopped believing, through the lean years and the glory nights alike. That is the spirit we want to carry: loud, proud and unmistakably Villa.

In Andrea Locorotondo, the outlet has a journalist whose connection to the club runs deeper than most. At Opta, Andrea took up the baton from Villa legend Gary Shaw, stepping into the role after his sad passing. It brought with it a responsibility he has carried ever since: a duty to every Villa supporter to try and walk in his shoes.

That same commitment and dedication now shape The Holte Roar. Andrea’s story with Villa is not one of birthright, but of belonging: an Italian who moved to Birmingham 11 years ago and never left.

Fellow editor Michael Plant has worked as a Premier League reporter for eight years, covering Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool, but is set to embark on an exciting new chapter, chronicling the exploits of his boyhood club.

In addition to writing for ManchesterWorld and Liverpool.com, Michael has worked for the FA, BBC Sport and Goal. He is determined to channel the skills learnt from nearly a decade in the industry toward providing first-class Villa coverage.

Our aim is to bring comprehensive and astute Villa coverage on a daily basis - that applies to Unai Emery’s Europa League winners (any chance to mention that again) and the youth and women’s teams.

It may take time to fully establish The Holte Roar, but our ambition is clear: soon we hope to become a staple for informed Villa supporters. Eventually, our aspiration is to make The Holte Roar a one-stop destination for the latest club news, insights and opinions.

So why not sign up for a free one-month trial? This only works if you, the Villa community, are on board. And if you feel the club’s media coverage could be improved, we may well be the solution you’re looking for.

We also want to hear from you in the coming weeks, months and (hopefully) years. No-one knows Villa better than the fans - what do you want to see from this new-fangled outlet? What sort of reporting would you like to see your club given?

And what a time to embark on this journey. It is a fascinating period in Villa’s history as the side look to close the gap to the Premier League’s best following last season’s Europa League success.

The Holte Roar wants to chart that journey: the highs, the lows and everything in between, as finally, the giant begins to stir.