My Boro, My Shirt celebrates the unifying force of the Boro
We're asking you to send us a picture of you and your shirt - and tell us what it means to you. You can see some of them below
In defeat or victory, come rain or shine, we all love the Boro.
And now a new art project aims to show how the colours of Middlesbrough FC provide a unifying force for people.
The My Boro, My Shirt project tells the diverse stories of the club’s fans on Teesside and further afield, and will highlight how supporters can make football a welcoming place for everyone, regardless of background.
Boro fans can get involved by taking a photograph of themselves wearing their favourite Boro shirt and uploading it to social media using the hashtag #MyBoroMyShirt
As part of the project, we also want you to tell us what your shirt, and your club, means to you.
Your entries will be documented online and a number will be collected and shown at a special exhibition next year.
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.
Middlesbrough Council is working with MFC and Borderlands Creative People and Places on the project along with Boro Fusion, a group set up to give a voice to Boro supporters of various ethnic backgrounds.
People of all ages are encouraged to design a t-shirt which draws inspiration from what makes them proud to support MFC or come from Middlesbrough.
It could be your favourite football player, neighbourhood or estate, friends and family or an iconic building or landmark.
The competition is split into four age groups so that everyone can apply – under sevens, eight to 11-year-olds, those aged between 12 and 17 and then adults.
Simply email a photograph of your design to J.Bailey@tees.ac.uk along with your name, age and contact information.
The competition will close on April 24 at midnight and MFC-themed prizes are on offer for the winners.
You can download a template here.
During the Easter holidays, the project is running a number of family sessions where people can come along and work on their design.
Boro defender Dael Fry came through the club’s Academy before becoming a key part of the senior side – and as a Berwick Hills native, he knows what the Boro means to our region.
He said: “Everyone knows how important football is to people in this area. It’s a massive part of all our lives.
“I don’t think there’s a more passionate set of supporters in the country – no matter where you go, there’ll always be someone talking about the Boro.
“I had all the shirts growing up and think My Boro, My Shirt is a great way for people to show their pride in the club.”
Alan Regent
Favourite Boro memory is Queens Park Rangers game without a doubt, going back to the 70s. I collected autographs at the time. So we went down to the Zetland Hotel at Saltburn where QPR were staying.
We were looking to get their autographs.
And we ended up playing snooker with Rodney Marsh, Mike Leach and Stan Bowles.
It was unbelievable. They all signed autographs.
And anyway, it came round to going out for the game and the bus driver said: “Does anyone know the way to the ground?”
So I replied: “Well, we do.”
The bus driver and the QPR manager (Les Allen) said: “Right, jump on.”
We were sat on the front seats on their team coach all the way to Ayresome Park. We got off and were given free tickets to the game, and Rodney Marsh said to me: “Wait there after the game, I want to see you.”
But the game, wow, we were 2-0 down after five minutes and Rodney Marsh making fun of the Boro, but then Hughie McIlmoyle stepped up and turned it right round. (Boro won 6-2 – McIlmoyle scored 2 and Hickton 3 – everyone remembers it as McIlmoyle’s match as he was so dominant)
Anyway, after the game Rodney Marsh said thanks for doing that and he gave us a signed shirt. Signed by the whole team. We couldn’t believe it.
Unbelievable day. I really enjoyed it. It was fantastic.
Tara Yarker
I am a born and bred Boro fan from Guisborough. I remember sitting on the bars in the corner at Ayresome Park, watching the Riverside being built, crying with heartbreak in Wembley ’97, crying with joy in Cardiff ’04 and crying…and laughing…many many times before, in between and since.
I think though that my ‘My Boro, My Shirt’ story really begins 10 years ago when I married my soldier husband. Since then I have taken my Boro shirt to Cyprus, Germany, Berkshire, back to Germany, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. I have worn it in pubs and gyms in every posting – I won’t say which one of those was more common!
I love that moment of recognition from a fellow exiled fan or that it can be a conversation starter with an opposition fan. Life as a military wife is often a challenging, lonely one but knowing I am part of a global network of Boro fans provides great comfort – and I have always tuned into the Riverside on Saturday afternoons wherever I have been.
I wear my shirt with pride wherever this military life takes us. It is who I am, it is in the blood and I love taking the Boro with me.
As a mum of two with a full time teaching job I don’t often get to the gym OR the pub nowadays but I do have a Boro shirt wearing teddy in my classroom and two mini Boro fans who also wear their shirts with pride. I am sorry though kids as there will be many years of tears ahead – and hopefully some joy too!
Howard Bailey
Here is my shirt from the 1979/80 season which I still possess.
It reminds me of Boro’s successful seasons in the old first division following the appointment of Jack Charlton and some of the great players we had like Graham Souness and Willie Maddren.
It was the first proper Boro shirt I ever bought and also reminds me of the happy times I spent in the Holgate End with my Dad Leo who sadly passed away shortly afterwards. UTB.
James McPartland
Gordon Hesse
Zack Steffen
Yusuf Jama
