"What a time to support Aston Villa": Birmingham is preparing for a victory parade after Aston Villa beat Freiburg 3-0 in Wednesday night's Europa League final
Thousands of fans are expected to line the streets of Birmingham city centre to celebrate the club winning its first major European trophy since 1982
The parade will begin on Branston Street in the Jewellery Quarter at 16.30 BST - here's a closer look at the route
"It was a fantastic win. It will be remembered for years to come", says one fan in Istanbul. In the stadium, BBC commentator Steve Hermon says: "The atmosphere was absolutely unreal. I have never known adrenaline like it"
Are you an Aston Villa fan? Send us your photos from the final and let us know how you're celebrating
Radio West Midlands speaks to Villa fans in Birmingham, Istanbul and Ghana - to listen click here
Last night's win was "a moment of history," says Luisa Huggins from the Westside Business Improvement District.
"The impact for the city will be huge."
Image source, PA Media"Major sporting events like this deliver a real boost to the local economy," she adds.
Birmingham businesses are ready for the parade, and everyone is "absolutely thrilled to be welcoming the boys later".
Before we start to see pictures of Villa fans turning the streets of Birmingham claret and blue, here's a reminder of how it looked as supporters celebrated in the Midlands last night.
Image source, PA Media
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Action Images/Reuters
While Prince William opted to take in last night's final in Turkey, another of club's most famous fans - Jack Reacher author Lee Child - tells the BBC he watched on from his living room.
"Before last night Villa had been in 13 major finals during my lifetime, won seven of them, lost six, and all the ones I ever went to were amongst those six," he laughs, in an interview on the Today programme.
"So I finally got a clue and thought the best way is to stay away and they will win."
And, after Villa boss Unai Emery celebrated his first trophy at the club, Child says "speaking as a writer, the narrative needed it".
"We needed Emery the movie to have that conclusion last night, another season would have been too long," the creator of the world-famous Jack Reacher character explains.
Child grew up in Birmingham, and he describes how he was captured as a seven-year-old by the mantra "Villa 'til I die".
In fact, he's so taken by the team that he admits to inserting references to his beloved Villa - for instance using a player's name for a town - into his novels.
"[It's] just to keep touching base with my life-long love," he says. "It's a crazy thing but I have to do it."
Owusu Boakye Amando is planning to hire motorcycles for a Ghanaian equivalent of the Birmingham trophy parade
As local Villa fans make their way into Birmingham city centre ahead of this afternoon's parade, more than 3,000 miles away in Ghana, international fans are having celebrations of their own.
"What a time to be a Villa fan, yesterday I couldn't believe my eyes," says Owusu Boakye Amando, head of the Aston Villa supporters group - The Lions - in Ghana.
He tells BBC Radio WM that his love for Aston Villa began with his grandfather.
"He used to stay with British people from Birmingham," Owusu says. "They introduced Aston Villa to my grandpa."
And growing up, Owusu says there was a particular player - who he heard referred to as "God" - that captured his heart: Irish defender Paul McGrath.
Last night, he says, his whole community watched the game together including people from his village and further afield.
"We watch every Villa game but this time around we had such huge numbers, a lot of people coming from their home to join us," he recalls. "Yesterday was massive."
A day after, they plan to meet up again and hire some motorcycles for their own version of the open-top bus tour taking place in Birmingham.
Punters at The Oak pub in Walmley were able to enjoy a Villa-themed barbecue to celebrate the club's historic win.
Tyrone Wings and Ezri Kon-Slaw were among the items on the menu, washed down with a pint of "John McGuinness".
"Unfortunately the food was a bit more popular than I thought it was going to be, so I missed the first 20 minutes of the match," said Paul O'Neil from the pub.
"But it turned out to be one of the best days ever as a Villa fan."
Nearly 11,000 fans in Istanbul's Beşiktaş Park stadium erupted in celebration as Aston Villa won its first major European trophy since 1982.
One fan told the BBC it was "absolutely amazing" and "the writing was on the wall", while another said fans would party through the night.
Image source, Reuters
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Image source, Getty ImagesRoyalty watched on as Aston Villa secured the Europa League trophy in Turkey - with Prince William seen punching the air in celebration as the team put three past Freiburg.
"Amazing night!! Huge congratulations to all the players, team, staff and everyone connected to the club! 44 years since the last taste of European silverware!" the Prince of Wales wrote on social media soon after.
He also pays tribute specifically to injured midfielder Boubacar Kamara, who he says is "integral" and "helped lay the foundations of this success".
William started supporting Villa during his school days in Berkshire, choosing a team further afield as he did not want to follow the crowd. He was born 26 days after Villa's historic European Cup final win against Bayern Munich on 26 May 1982.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe prince even made his way into the Villa dressing room to offer some pre-match motivation, according to the club's captain John McGinn.
"He is just a normal guy. It’s great to have his support and hopefully it continues and tonight he can have a couple of drinks with us, and maybe get his credit card out at the end of the night," McGinn joked after the final whistle.
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Steve Hermon
BBC Radio WM commentator
I have never known adrenaline like it. When sunrise hit at 05:35 hit in Istanbul this morning, there was a call to prayer coming from the mosques in the area surrounding where I am, mixed in with the chanting from Aston Villa fans coming from the distance.
You could still hear them in the city centre.
The atmosphere in the stadium was absolutely unreal. Goosebump-inducing. The Aston Villa fans in the stadium were incredible throughout.
Two guys from Sutton Coldfield in front of me had paid over £1,000 each, but said they didn’t regret it.
One of them was FaceTiming his son throughout the celebrations - you couldn’t do that in 1982. A father-son moment a thousand miles apart.
Image source, MB Media/Getty ImagesAston Villa arrived in Istanbul hoping to secure the club's first European trophy since 1982
Image source, Stu Forster via Gettty ImagesA Youri Tielemans volley kickstarted Villa's charge for the trophy when it found the bottom corner of the Freiburg net in the 41st minute
Image source, PA MediaArgentinian midfielder Emi Buendia extended Villa's lead on the stroke of half-time
Image source, Getty ImagesThe tie was all but over when Morgan Rogers stole in to poke Villa's final goal home midway into the second half
Image source, Getty ImagesThe 3-0 result was celebrated in front of nearly 11,000 Villa fans who had made the journey to Istanbul
The parade will begin on Branston Street in the Jewellery Quarter at 16.30 BST, travelling through Sand Pits, Broad Street and Centenary Square.
It will have three open-top buses, with the lead bus dressed in blue, carrying media, followed by a claret bus with the players. A third blue bus carrying staff will complete the convoy.
A trophy lift will also take place as the centrepiece of the parade, the club says.
The parade is expected to last between 60 and 90 minutes and supporters have been encouraged not to drive to the event.
Aston Villa are covering all costs associated with the event.
More details, including a list of road closures, can be found here.
Image source, Anadolu via Getty ImagesNearly 11,000 Villa fans watched Villa seal the Europa League trophy with victory in Turkey
BBC Radio WM has been hearing from fans across the world this morning as Aston Villa bring home their first major trophy in decades.
John, who was in Istanbul for the final, says the win was everything he had dreamed of.
"It was a fantastic win. Absolutely brilliant. It will be remembered for years to come," he says.
But fans who were not part of the 11,000 inside Beşiktaş Park still had their moment.
Owusu Boakye Amando, head of Aston Villa supporters in Ghana, tells the BBC how fans 4,000 miles away felt.
He says: "Yesterday was one of our best moments in life. What a time to support Aston Villa.
"Around 4pm in the evening, we all chanted songs and cheering up the boys. It was amazing - what a time to be alive."
Kevin Evans, from Bilston, adds: "It was magical, it's a feeling I can't even describe today. I'm suffering a bit - sore throat, headache, but I don't care."
Image source, Sports Press Photo/Getty ImagesAston Villa's 3-0 win in the Europa League final has left Birmingham buzzing, with celebrations lasting late into the night and continuing again on Thursday.
A victory parade will be held in the city when players return from Istanbul later in the afternoon - we'll have more on the route the bus will be taking in our next few posts.
We'll be running live updates throughout the day, covering the parade and all the build-up as fans celebrate the squad's first European victory since 1982.
Up the Villa!
