Prince William’s love for Aston Villa ‘not manufactured’ says legendary football commentator Clive Tyldesley
Sports commentator Clive Tyldesley has confirmed the Prince of Wales’ deep-rooted affection for Aston Villa and stated that “nothing has been manufactured” regarding his support for the Premier League club.
Speaking at an appointment ceremony at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, Tyldesley described William’s commitment as “clearly his passion”.
He added that the royal family’s commitment to the club provides “a real bond between the (Royal) family and the national sport”.
The legendary football commentator said: “There is nothing made up about his love for the football team. “He is not a supporter of the most famous club in the country.
“He is a supporter of a team that has had its ups and downs and is about to enjoy a great rise next week.”
The prince was seen punching the air with joy as Aston Villa defeated Nottingham Forest 4-0 at Villa Park.
The win took the club to their first major European final since 1982, where they will face German team Freiburg on 20 May.
Mr Tyldesley said he felt “very proud, very humbled” to be awarded the CBE by the Prince of Wales for his services to sports broadcasting and charity.
He said: “This is really something I’ve always wanted to do and I had the opportunity to join a radio station straight from university as a runner.
“The first thing I ever did was host a late night rock show but I always wanted to work in and around football.”
Mr Tyldesley said William had spoken to him about Aston Villa during the appointment ceremony, adding: “You would be surprised if he didn’t do that.”
“Part of me would have loved to have told the King how impressed I was with his speech to Congress a few weeks ago but I passed it on to the prince and it was nice to talk some football with him,” he told PA.
Asked whether VAR was causing problems for commentators, Mr Tyldesley said: “I think all commentators’ problems are first world problems.
“They can make our lives difficult, but they can’t make the job something other than what it is, which is the job I always wanted to do.”
However, he said that “changing the laws of the game to accommodate VAR is a bit of a window dressing for me”.
“Here we are, dwelling on the details of handball decisions at elite level and forgetting the fact that the beauty of the game is that everyone plays,” he said.
Among those attending Wednesday’s ceremony was Kerry Davis, who became the first black woman to play for the England women’s football team and was honored with an MBE for her services to football and diversity in sport.
He told PA that “women’s and girls’ football is probably 100 years behind men’s football” in terms of opportunities available.
Ms Davis added: “If you see when women’s organized football started and girls started playing football at school… maybe five years ago?”
He said he had spoken to the Prince of Wales about Princess Charlotte playing football. “When I was at school, there was netball, hurling, no football,” she added.
The player, who made his debut in September 1982, scored 43 goals in 90 matches during his 16-year international career, including the 1984 European Championship and the 1995 World Cup.
Ms Davis, the Lionesses’ third-leading scorer, said representative role models and more female coaches were important in making the sport more diverse.
England rugby player Zoe Stratford, who captained the Rugby World Cup-winning team last year, was also honored with an OBE for her services to rugby union football.
He told PA it was a “really proud moment”.
Ms Stratford said last year’s World Cup was “a very surprising but very important time for women’s sport”.
He added that this allowed the Red Roses team to “connect” with young fans and “seduce” them to the sport.
“I think it’s such a big thing, we’ve done it as the Red Roses, but now after that, participation in the sport has also increased, like the crowds we’re seeing now, and it’s incredible to see,” he said.
