The Holte Roar promises "intelligent, independent coverage" of Aston Villa as new title lands on CounterPress

Aston Villa fans will have a new local media title dedicated entirely to high-quality coverage of the club this season, powered by CounterPress.

The Holte Roar launches later this month, with a mission to provide intelligent, independent coverage of Villa - free from intrusive advertising and with the fan community as its core.

The site will be fronted by football writer and commentator Andrea Locorotondo, who is also a data journalist for Opta.

He began his career covering Leicester City for the stats company, before taking up the baton from the legend, Gary Shaw, following the much-loved Villan's sad passing. Andrea moved from Italy to Birmingham 11 years ago and never left.

A member of both the Sports Journalists' Association and the International Sports Press Association, he has also completed several levels of scouting qualifications with the Professional Football Scouts Association.

At The Holte Roar, Andrea leads in-person matchday reporting, statistical analysis and coverage of the women's and youth teams, bringing a data journalist's eye to the detail behind the stories.

The Holte Roar members can look forward to detailed reporting on the club across the men’s, women’s and youth teams. Supporters can anticipate insight into the biggest Villa stories, opinions and statistical analysis during an exciting period in the club’s history.

In today’s clickbait-oriented media landscape, The Holte Roar team is determined to offer a platform where Villa fans feel informed, yet are not bombarded with a surplus of mediocre content. The Holte Roar will be supporters’ one-stop Villa outlet, with reporting on the topics and stories that fans truly care about.

Andrea said: "When I took over Gary Shaw's role at Opta after he sadly passed away, I felt a responsibility to every Villa supporter to try and walk in his shoes. That same sense of responsibility and dedication is what I want to bring to The Holte Roar.

"Villa fans deserve coverage that respects their intelligence rather than chasing their clicks. So much football media now measures success by volume; we want to be judged on the quality of what we produce, not the quantity.

"That means being at the games, getting into the numbers, and giving the women's and youth teams the genuine attention they're so often denied. If it matters to Villa, it will matter to us."

The Holte Roar's early interest waiting list is now open ahead of a full launch later this month.

Aston Villa becomes the seventh Premier League club to get a dedicated website on CounterPress, joining The Brighton Base (Brighton and Hove Albion), Cherries On Top (AFC Bournemouth), The Phoenix (Coventry City), Saturday White Fever (Fulham), The Sunderland Stories (Sunderland) and The 1878 (Manchester United).

CounterPress offers the technical infrastructure and industry knowledge and support that journalists and creators need to build their own media brand.

Co-founder Sam Morshead said: "I’ve been really taken by Andrea’s love for and knowledge of Aston Villa, at all levels.

“The Holte Roar is going to provide a real range of coverage across the club, catering for the supporter who is interested in all aspects of what’s going on at Villa Park.

“I’m delighted Andrea has chosen CounterPress to help him lay down roots, and look forward to helping him and his team build a service of substance and value for his community.”