Football / Bristol Rovers
Photographs of fans accompany Rovers kit launch
St Paul’s Carnival director LaToyah McAllister-Jones is among the Gasheads whose photographs were taken as part of a new portrait exhibition to mark the launch of Bristol Rovers’ new shirt.
The ‘My Rovers, My Shirt’ exhibition has been put together with the help of former Rovers defender Anwar Uddin.
Photographs were taken by Sophie Cook, with the project between the football club and Bristol Rovers Community Trust as part of the Fans for Diversity campaign.
Uddin said: “The portraits are fantastic and really highlight the rich diversity of the club’s supporters.
“Our aim is to make football a welcoming place for everyone and these portraits shine a light on supporters from a variety of backgrounds within Bristol.
“Sophie’s portraits are so authentic and she’s captured the pride we all have in our club – we reckon Rovers’ fans will really appreciate them.
“It’s a great way to put fans who you don’t normally see at the heart of the kit launch.”
This year’s Macron kit draws inspiration from the home strip that debuted in the 1999-2000 season – photo: Sophie Cook
Other fans featured include Her Game Too co-founder Caz May, boxing promoter Chris Sanigar and Delroy Hibbert, a charity worker who features in the most recent Behind the Headlines podcast.
Shot across the city from the Star & Garter to the Suspension Bridge, the portraits will soon be exhibited at a special event.
Tom Gorringe from Bristol Rovers said: “Bristol is a vibrant, diverse and cultural city and we are delighted to celebrate all of those aspects with this campaign.
“As a club, we are lucky to have a large fanbase spanning supporters from all different backgrounds, races, sexualities, religions and disabilities, and it is of paramount importance to us that everyone, no matter who they are, feels a part of the football club.
“We have therefore worked closely with the brilliant team at the Community Trust, along with Anwar and his team at Kick It Out to celebrate the diversity and put our supporters at the forefront.”
Main photo: Sophie Cook
Read more: My Bristol Favourites: Caz May
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