Villa Park continues to recognise a long-standing commitment made to former player Neil Cox, with the arrangement now stretching back an impressive 35 years.
The deal relates to seats at Villa Park, suggesting Cox was granted some form of ongoing ticket or seating arrangement as part of his time associated with the club.
Neil Cox came through the football ranks during the late 1980s and early 1990s, a period when Aston Villa were an established top-flight force in English football.
Cox made his name as a right-back during a career that took him across several English clubs, beginning his professional journey at Aston Villa before moving on.
The fact that Villa are still honouring this arrangement decades later speaks to a certain old-fashioned loyalty that is increasingly rare in the modern professional game.
Aston Villa have a long tradition of maintaining strong relationships with former players, and this story serves as a reminder of the human side of football clubs.
Such arrangements were far more common in earlier eras of the sport, when deals between clubs and players were often made on a personal and informal basis.
The longevity of this particular commitment, now entering its fourth decade, has drawn attention and admiration from supporters of the club and football fans more broadly.
Aston Villa currently compete at the highest levels of European and domestic football, yet still find time to honour obligations rooted in a very different era of the game.
Stories like this one are a welcome reminder that football clubs carry their histories with them, and that some promises, however small, are worth keeping for the long haul.
