The unifying power of Middlesbrough Football Club has been celebrated as a project about its fanbase is opened up to a huge new audience.
My Boro, My Shirt tells the diverse stories of the club’s fans and highlights how supporters can make football a welcoming place for everyone.
The platform at Middlesbrough railway station is now displaying portraits of fifteen Boro fans, along with their thoughts about what the shirt, and the club, mean to them.
Middlesbrough player Sol Brynn visited the station on Thursday to meet some of the featured supporters and hear about the project’s impact first hand.
Goalkeeper Sol, who was brought up in Middlesbrough and came through the club’s academy, said:
“Middlesbrough is a special club and our supporters are its heart and soul. “Our fans come from different backgrounds and start supporting us for different reasons, but one thing I know is that football means so much to people in this area.
This is a great project and a really positive way for everyone to show their pride in the club.”
The portraits, taken by photographers Tom Banks and Paul Thompson, will now be seen daily by thousands of commuters and visitors – including away fans travelling to Middlesbrough for fixtures at the Riverside Stadium.
Organiser Robert Nichols, chair of the Middlesbrough Supporters Forum and editor of the MFC fanzine Fly Me To The Moon, said:
“These portraits will let every football fan know that they are welcome here in Middlesbrough. The project has had a great response from fans and I’m looking forward to more people getting to see it in its new location.”
Mayor of Middlesbrough Chris Cooke said:
“I know how important Middlesbrough Football Club is to people in our town, it defines what we’re about.
“So it’s fantastic to see this great project opened up to such a big audience.
“The portraits and stories will show the best side of Middlesbrough to those who visit our town.”
My Boro, My Shirt is based on a project launched by the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) to improve inclusivity in football, which has been adopted by other sets of fans around the country.
Organisers worked with Middlesbrough Council, MFC and Borderlands Creative People and Places on the exhibition, which is a legacy of the Middlesbrough Supporters Forum who have represented Boro supporters including those from different ethnic, gender, disability and age groups.
Shahda Khan, Director for Borderlands CPP, said:
“It’s been an absolute privilege to be a part of this project. Seeing the impact of these portraits being shared across Teesside, and hopefully wider, has reinforced the importance of community cohesion and that really strong sense of belonging and identity.”
