A tiny amateur football team in east London has won a legion of new fans in Spain — and at least £60,000 in sales — after it launched a new shirt to commemorate the end of the Spanish Civil War.
Clapton Community FC — who play in the Middlesex County League Division One, the 12th tier of English football — this month unveiled the new away shirt, which commemorates the 80th anniversary of the end of the Spanish Civil War.
The club said the shirt was a tribute to the International Brigades, paramilitary units set up to assist the Republican cause, which were organised by the Communist International and made up of volunteers from across Europe, including some from the UK.
We started off hoping to honour in a small way the memory of the International Brigades, especially the British volunteers, with our away shirt. Your extraordinary generosity will now help us to build our new club too. ¡Gracias! @IBMT_SCW ¡No pasarán!
The back of the shirts display the slogan "NO PASARAN", meaning "they shall not pass" — the phrase was used during World War I and was later adopted during the Spanish Civil War by those fighting Gen. Francisco Franco's forces between 1936 and 1939.
The shirt incorporates the flag of the Second Spanish Republic and "is adorned by the three-pointed star of the International Brigades, who travelled to Spain attempting to hold back the fascist tide of General Franco," the club's website explains.
The kit was made by Rage Sport, an Italian company that makes shirts for grassroots clubs with anti-fascist principles.
Interest was so huge on Sunday that the club's website stopped working.
Apologies but due to the absolutely huge number of people visiting our website today, it has now crashed. We're working on it! https://t.co/bvFYLzkoYd
Early Wednesday the club tweeted to say that the demand was so large that it now has to charge a higher rate of tax on all purchases. The club also tweeted this in Spanish.
Due to completely unexpected demand over the last 48 hours we have now become liable to charge 20% VAT on our merchandise. We apologise for the jump in prices but hope you understand that the level of interest has surprised us and is necessary to fulfill our tax obligations
Meanwhile the story has gone viral on social media in Spain, with several media outlets picking it up, including the daily sports newspaper Marca.
One admirer declared: "I am an absolute fan."
@ClaptonCFC , club inglés que elige su equipación en recuerdo de la segunda república española con el lema NO PASARÁN bordado en el cuello. Me declaro fan absoluto. https://t.co/p41t93IahY
Another remarked that CCFC is now many Spaniards' second team.
@ClaptonCFC A partir de hoy sois el segundo equipo de muchos españoles 🤗😉
Spanish people were genuinely moved by the tribute.
.@ClaptonCFC I just bought your tribute to The International Brigades. Thanks for keep alive their courage and memory. #NoPasaran #WeAreTheClapton https://t.co/5jrmKosos7
The club has made £60,000 from shirt orders in the last two days alone — a huge sum for a club this size.
The last 48 hours has been amazing: over £60,000 in orders for our shirts, mostly from Spain. We are trying hard to answer (and often first translate) everyone's questions, so please stay patient - our organising committees will reply to you as soon as possible #WeAreTheClapton
Clapton CFC, which is entirely owned by its fans, was formed this year as a breakaway club from Clapton FC, after an acrimonious row between supporters and Clapton's owner, Vince McBean.
McBean also owns Clapton FC's historic Old Spotted Dog, in Hackney, the oldest football ground in London, meaning Clapton CFC now play at a temporary home in nearby Walthamstow, which fans have christened "The Stray Dog".
The club declined to comment, as it continues to work through the backlog of shirt orders.
And the new kit might just be a good omen: The team beat Wanderers FC 5–2 on Saturday while wearing it.
Something special going on in East London. Real fan owned football & political activism. Thank you @ClaptonCFC @ClaptonUltras https://t.co/PrqTmCYjGH