Club to celebrate moment it made football history

A non-league club is set to celebrate the moment it created footballing history 50 years ago by putting a sponsor on its shirt.

Kettering Town, nicknamed the Poppies, spawned an industry worth hundreds of millions of pounds when Kettering Tyres appeared on their shirts on 24 January 1976.

The Northamptonshire team will wear a replica of the shirt during their game with Halesowen Town on Saturday, with other commemorative events scheduled, after adverse weather delayed celebrations planned for January.

The club said it was a chance to celebrate "a defining moment from the past, but also the vibrant present and future of the club".

Derek Dougan, the club's player-manager and business chief at the time, secured the £4,000 deal.

In a previous interview with the Sports Argus, Dougan said finding a different sponsor for every home match was "hopelessly time-consuming".

"I hit on the idea of getting one company to do the lot," he said.

"When I spotted the title for Kettering Tyres – KT for Kettering Town – I realised I was on a winner if I could get them to do it.

"When they agreed, I felt I had made a breakthrough."

In the aftermath, the team were threatened with fines and a ban.

However, within 18 months, the Football Association amended its rules to allow sponsorship.

On Saturday, several members of the 1976 team will be present for events, including a pre-match walkout and a post-match shirt auction.

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