Cwmbran Celtic FC have secured a unique kit sponsorship deal with four top UK bands that will also help independent music venues.
The club spotted the similarities between grassroots football and live music – both run on the same things: passion, tight budgets, and the dedicated people in the community who keep them alive.
Celtic have teamed up with Super Furry Animals, Mogwai, Panic Shack, and Loose Articles, whose names now feature prominently across the front of the men’s and women’s first-team home and away kits.
The club will donate 10% of the profits from every shirt sold directly to the Music Venue Trust (MVT), the charity dedicated to protecting, securing, and improving the UK’s grassroots music venues.
Super Furry Animals
Gruff Rhys, from the Super Furry Animals, said: “Our 50-foot-high inflatable bears have a long-standing relationship with Cwmbran having been patched up there from many punctures over the last thirty years. The bears were very keen to repay the favour and this beautiful football kit was born.”
Toni Coe-Brooker, campaigns & communications at Music Venue Trust said: “This partnership perfectly captures what grassroots culture is all about. Whether it’s a football club or a music venue, these are the places where communities come together and futures begin.
“We’d like to thank Cwmbran Celtic, Super Furry Animals, Mogwai, Panic Shack and Loose Articles for supporting the grassroots music ecosystem and showing how much stronger our communities are when we back each other.”
Welsh indie royalty Super Furry Animals and Cardiff punk breakout Panic Shack proudly carry the banner for Welsh music on the kits. Glasgow post-rock institution Mogwai – who are massive Glasgow Celtic fans – jumped at the chance to sponsor the club’s green and white hooped away shirts. Manchester punk band Loose Articles complete the lineup, bringing a strong local tie as their drummer’s mother lives in Cwmbran.
The crossover is the brainchild of Cwmbran Celtic’s joint commercial managers, Matt Jarrett and Connor Cupples.
Matt, who now co-runs Diverse Vinyl in Newport, grew up in Cwmbran and played for Celtic at youth level.
He said: “Myself and fellow commercial manager Connor Cupples both come from music backgrounds. I co-own a record shop in Newport, and Connor promotes shows across the country. Both of us have put numerous gigs on in grassroots venues, and when we took on this role, it was obvious to us that there were massive similarities across the two endeavours.
‘No-brainer’
“Both rely heavily on support from the local community to sell tickets, and on the people that give up their time to help keep them afloat. It seemed a no-brainer to approach people we had links with to get involved. Luckily for us, the bands all embraced the idea and gave it their blessing!”
Connor Cupples said: “Grassroots football and grassroots music venues are fighting the same fight. They’re where it all starts, they run on passion and tight budgets, and when one disappears, a community loses something it can’t easily get back.
“To have four bands of this calibre on our shirts, and to send a share of every sale to Music Venue Trust, means this kit stands for far more than a season of football. It’s two grassroots worlds looking out for each other.”
Order a Cwmbran Celtic shirt
For fans wanting to support the cause, the men’s and women’s shirts are available to pre-order now via Tor Sports. The club has also launched a brand-new online ticket site via Gigantic, allowing home, away, and groundhopping fans to easily purchase advance match or season tickets for both the men’s and women’s teams.