Welsh football club’s new shirts backed by four of UK’s biggest independent bands

Amelia Jones

A landmark partnership between Welsh football and the music world has been unveiled, with a grassroots club set to showcase some of Wales’ biggest musical names on its new kit.

Bands Mogwai, Panic Shack and Loose Articles have joined Super Furry Animals Cwmbran Celtic on announcing landmark music kit sponsorship.

Grassroots football and live music run on the exact same things: pure passion, tight budgets, and the dedicated people in the community who keep them alive.

Now, one Welsh football club is bringing those two worlds together. Cwmbran Celtic FC has announced a groundbreaking 2026/27 kit sponsorship, teaming up with four of the UK’s most-loved independent bands: Super Furry Animals, Mogwai, Panic Shack, and Loose Articles.

Produced by the club’s new kit supplier, Tor Sports, the bands will feature prominently across the front of the men’s and women’s first-team kits for the coming season.

The partnership is designed to give back to the spaces that make independent music possible. Cwmbran Celtic will donate 10% of the profits from every shirt sold directly to the Music Venue Trust (MVT), the charity dedicated to protecting, securing, and improving the UK’s grassroots music venues.

On kickstarting Cwmbran Celtic’s partnership Super Furry Animal Gruff Rhys said: “Our 50 foot high inflatable bears have a long standing relationship with Cwmbran having been patched up there from many punctures over the last thirty years. The bears were very keen to repay the favour and this beautiful football kit was born.”

Cwmbran Celtic ground sponsor Motazone were even involved in the bears latest inflating in Cwmbran, coming before the band’s latest UK & Ireland tour.

Music Venue Trust 

The Music Venue Trust is a UK-registered charity created in 2014 to safeguard the long-term future of these essential cultural spaces.

The MVT’s 2025 Annual Report revealed that more than half (53%) of the UK’s grassroots venues operated without making any profit last year, surviving on average margins of just 2.5%. With dedicated coordinators working specifically to support venues across Wales, the funds raised from the Cwmbran Celtic partnership will directly assist in protecting this fragile but vital ecosystem.

The remaining proceeds will be poured straight back into supporting Cwmbran Celtic’s extensive community, which includes six senior men’s and women’s teams, veterans, walking football, and a massive junior setup for boys and girls.

Toni Coe-Brooker, Campaigns & Communications at Music Venue Trust said: “”This partnership perfectly captures what grassroots culture is all about.

“Whether it’s a football club or a music venue, these are the places where communities come together and futures begin. We’d like to thank Cwmbran Celtic, Super Furry Animals, Mogwai, Panic Shack and Loose Articles for supporting the grassroots music ecosystem and showing how much stronger our communities are when we back each other.”

Football and music share a rich crossover history in Wales and beyond, from Ed Sheeran at Ipswich to Super Furry Animals’ legendary 1999 Cardiff City sponsor. However, this partnership sets itself apart by dedicating all four first-team home and away shirts to artists who cut their teeth in local venues.

The bands involved

Welsh indie royalty Super Furry Animals and Cardiff punk breakout Panic Shack proudly carry the banner for Welsh music on the kits.

Glasgow post-rock institution Mogwai – who are massive Glasgow Celtic fans – jumped at the chance to sponsor the club’s green and white hooped away shirts. Manchester punk band Loose Articles complete the lineup, bringing a strong local tie as their drummer’s mother lives in Cwmbran.

The crossover is the brainchild of Cwmbran Celtic’s Joint Commercial Managers, Matt Jarrett and Connor Cupples.

“Myself and fellow Commercial Manager Connor Cupples both come from music backgrounds,” said Matt Jarrett, who grew up in Cwmbran and played for the club at the youth level. “I co-own a record shop in Newport, and Connor promotes shows across the country.

“Both of us have put numerous gigs on in grassroots venues, and when we took on this role, it was obvious to us that there were massive similarities across the two endeavours.”

“Both rely heavily on support from the local community to sell tickets, and on the people that give up their time to help keep them afloat. It seemed a no-brainer to approach people we had links with to get involved. Luckily for us, the bands all embraced the idea and gave it their blessing!”

Connor Cupples added: “Grassroots football and grassroots music venues are fighting the same fight. They’re where it all starts, they run on passion and tight budgets, and when one disappears, a community loses something it can’t easily get back.

“To have four bands of this calibre on our shirts, and to send a share of every sale to Music Venue Trust, means this kit stands for far more than a season of football. It’s two grassroots worlds looking out for each other.”

For fans wanting to support the cause, the men’s and women’s shirts are available to pre-order now via Tor Sports. The club has also launched a brand-new online ticket site via Gigantic, allowing home, away, and groundhopping fans to easily purchase advance match or season tickets for both the men’s and women’s teams.

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.