AFTER nearly 60 years as a football fan I’ve finally got to have my cake and eat it. I’m still as proud as punch of my big local club Brighton’s fan-backed 20-year rise from bottom of the 4th Division with no ground to the Premier League.

Now I’m helping my little local club too. I’ve done all the relevant online research, and to the best of my knowledge can now confirm that I am the first poet in history to sponsor a football shirt.
 
AFC Southwick, the new club in my Sussex port-town home where my maternal family roots go back 200 years, will play with my logo on their shirt for the next two seasons. Once one of the top non-league sides in Sussex with an FA Cup first round appearance and a spell in the Isthmian League under its belt, Southwick FC, founded in 1882, has been rescued from oblivion under a new name by dedicated local people.

And after a 100 per cent record promotion season – to the top tier of the Mid-Sussex Football League – in our first year the club is now one step away from a return to its rightful place in senior football. Everyone involved is absolutely lovely and I am proud to be a part of it – though juggling gigs, Brighton games and now AFC Southwick games is no mean feat.
 
If you like the shirt, there are replicas available and all profits will be going to the club. Please go to my merch page at attilathestockbroker.bandcamp.com for all the details.