Tyson Fury has raised eyebrows by stepping in to sponsor his local EFL team, Morecambe.
The agreement will see the boxing superstar's Gyspy King moniker emblazoned on the Shrimpers home and away shorts for the upcoming League One season.
Fury, 33, who lives in Morecambe, made the announcement on his social media channels with a video where he said: "Hi, Tyson Fury here. Big announcement. The Gypsy King has just sponsored my local club Morecambe FC. Let's have a fantastic season and smash it. Come on the boys! And the girls! Get up!"
Here, Mirror Football takes a look at six other high-profile individuals to pledge support, funds or both into lower-league clubs.
Ed Sheeran
The pop sensation has once again agreed to sponsor the front of Ipswich Town's home and away shirts for the forthcoming season.
It is a continuation of an arrangement which began last term. The singer's logo, advertising his current worldwide tour, will again appear on the Tractor Boys' men's and women's shirts.
"I am delighted to be sponsoring Ipswich Town for another season," said the superstar, 31. Sheeran is a big fan of Ipswich and has been a regular visitor to Portman Road down the years. He was last spotted there for a game against Gillingham in February.
Shaquille O'Neal
O'Neal is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Why, then, does he have a bond with an English lower-league side - in this case, Northampton Town?
Well, the answer is due to his close association with the club's chairman, Kelvin Thomas. The duo co-own a radio station in the States. Speaking back in the 2015-16 season, O'Neal sent a message of support to the promotion-chasing Cobblers.
"First place is where I like to be and it’s great to see you guys at the top," he said in a video message to the club and its fans. "[I’m] looking forward to coming to Sixfields at some point to see a match. You guys know what you got to do."
What's the strangest celebrity link-up with a football club? Let us know in the comments!
Harry Kane
The England captain may be more interested with goings-on in the Premier League rather than the lower reaches of the EFL, but that hasn't stopped him lending support to Leyton Orient.
The coming campaign will once again see Kane sponsoring the O's shirts for a third successive season. The Spurs striker played his first ever professional game whilst on loan at Brisbane Road and has this year donated the front-of-shirt space to mental health support line Shout.
Kane said: "I was born only a couple of miles from Orient's stadium and am really happy to give back to the club that gave me my first professional start."
Jade Thirlwall
The Little Mix singer became a shareholder of her hometown club, non-league South Shields, in late 2020. The pop star also became honorary president of the Northern Premier Division side. She said at the time: "I'm so grateful to be asked to be the Honorary President of South Shields Football Club.
"I hope through my role I can raise awareness and increase the club's profile, encouraging others to do the same and support our incredible team."
Robbie Williams
The pop sensation is a lifelong Port Vale fan and in 2006 he became a majority stakeholder in the club. Port Vale were cash-strapped at the time and the former Take That singer invested £250,000.
This summer, he played a homecoming gig at Vale Park that saw 20,000 attend and raised money for charity. Chief operating officer and club director Claire Halket said of the successful gig: "Robbie loved it. He did a tour of the ground and he’s desperate to come back if we can get more people on the pitch. We would love to do more."
Peter Crouch
Since retiring, former England striker Crouch has dipped his toe into punditry and podcasting.
And in 2021, he was named as director of football at non-league side Dulwich Hamlet. Crouch once represented the London outfit during a loan spell in his playing days and is now trying to aid their progression.
This year, a documentary launched focusing on his involvement, entitled 'Saving Our Beautiful Game'. It is being streamed on Discovery+.
