Welsh club use sales of viral shirt to help grassroots music venues
Cwmbran Celtics shirt was seen being worn by the lead singer of Fontaines DC
A Welsh football club has seen a major boost to its new shirt initiative after a famous music star wore its colours on stage at Reading Festival.
Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten was spotted wearing Cwmbran Celtic’s green and white away shirt as the band headlined the festival.
The appearance has already had an impact, with Cwmbran Celtic saying pre-sales of the shirt have almost doubled.
The shirt is part of a unique 2026-27 partnership between the semi-professional club and several well-known music acts, bringing grassroots football and independent music together.
Alongside Fontaines D.C., the initiative features Welsh bands Super Furry Animals and Panic Shack, as well as Loose Articles and Mogwai.
Most of the money raised through shirt sales will go directly towards supporting Cwmbran Celtic’s teams, including six senior sides, veterans, walking football and its junior set-up.
Ten per cent of profits will also be donated to Music Venue Trust, which supports grassroots music venues across the UK.
Matt Jarrett, Cwmbran Celtic’s head of communications, says the idea came from seeing similarities between grassroots football and live music.
He says: “There are a lot of similarities between putting on grassroots gigs and getting people to come to grassroots football. It’s getting people into the venues and buying tickets. It’s about giving something back to the music industry”.
Chatten said he wore the shirt because he “loves Cwmbran” and supports initiatives helping independent venues.
Cwmbran Celtic says the partnership is now helping put the club firmly on the map.