Rock band Franz Ferdinand sponsor youth football team

A youth football team have gained an unlikely sponsor - the rock band Franz Ferdinand.

Symington Tinto 2014s picked up the backing of the Scottish group, best known for hit single Take Me Out, thanks to a friendship between a club coach and bassist Bob Hardy.

Now the club are even being asked whether they will sell replica kits, featuring the band's distinctive logo.

The team's vice president Daniel Harwood told BBC Scotland News approaching the band had been a "shot in the dark" that had paid off.

The club have an adult amateur team and eight youth teams, all of whom play in the village of Symington in South Lanarkshire.

"We have a number of teams and we're constantly looking for sponsorship for them," Mr Harwood said. "Usually it's local companies around the area or people who have connections with kids playing in the team.

"Franz was a bit of a shot in the dark. One of the club coaches, Fraser White, was flatmates with one of the band at university and thought he'd try asking them. We were surprised when they said yes.

"We're over the moon at everything since then. The amount of interaction on social media we've had, and the amount of people from all over the world who have commented on posts about it, has been fantastic."

Among the scores of messages since the kit announcement have been comments from fans of the indie band, interested in buying the strip for themselves.

Sadly, Mr Harwood has disappointing news on that front.

"We would obviously need to sort out a licence with the band so there are no plans at the moment," he said.

"But there is certainly demand there for it."

He added that support - whether from rock bands or other more conventional sponsors - made a huge difference to the club.

He said: "The club is volunteer run, so a lot of people put time and effort into it all. We're really trying to make it as accessible as possible for kids in the village and any support helps."

The band formed in the early 2000s and won the Mercury Music Prize in 2004 for their self-titled debut album.

They released their sixth album, The Human Fear, at the start of 2025.

Franz Ferdinand are by no means the only band to offer their support to a football team.

In Scotland alone the early 90s saw chart-topping soft rock band Wet Wet Wet sponsoring their hometown team Clydebank.

Bonnyton Thistle Under-9s were sponsored by Ayrshire rockers Biffy Clyro in 2009, while in 2018 rock band Mogwai became shirt sponsors of a primary school football team in Glasgow.

Further afield, and indie rock band - and contemporaries of Franz Ferdinand - The Libertines became the main shirt sponsors for non-league football side Margate FC in 2018.

Super Furry Animals sponsored Cardiff City's shirts for the club's matches in the FAW Cup in 1999, while Welsh rappers Goldie Lookin' Chain sponsored their hometown club Newport County in 2004.

In recent years, Irish post-punk act Fontaines D.C linked up with Irish Premier Division club Bohemians FC and die-hard Ipswich Town fan Ed Sheeran sponsored his beloved Tractor Boys back in 2021.