Latest news with #MargateFC
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pete Doherty plays in non-league football friendly
Pete Doherty was limited to five minutes on the pitch as he had to do a soundcheck at Dreamland [Margate FC] Musician Pete Doherty has made his non-league football debut as he led Margate FC out as captain in a friendly. The singer and guitarist for The Libertines, who sponsor Margate FC, signed for the club in order to take part in their match against Tonbridge Angels on Saturday. Advertisement Doherty, wearing the number 10 and a brown hat, played about five minutes before being subbed off to do a soundcheck at nearby Dreamland ahead of a concert the same day. Ricky Owen, Margate FC's chairman, said: "It was fantastic, probably better than any of us imagined when we started putting this together." Margate, who lost 3-2, welcomed about 600 spectators to the game. Doherty played in a brown hat throughout his five-minute cameo [Margate FC] Owen said: "I'm not sure we saw the best of his footballing skills, I'm not sure he had long enough to kind of show what he was about on that side of things, but apparently he was a player back in the day in his younger days. Advertisement "But it was a fantastic way to kick off our pre-season, something different for our supporters, a bit of fun for our first game and it seemed to go down really well." The Libertines, who became the main shirt sponsor for the club in 2018, also own a hotel in the area. Owen said: "The reaction on our socials, the reaction on The Libertines' socials, speaking to people at the ground yesterday, reports from our media team as well, it's just been positively received right across the board really." When asked if Doherty could play for the Isthmian League South East Division-club again, Mr Owen said: "Never say never. We'll see." Advertisement Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. More on this story Related internet links
BBC News
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Pete Doherty plays in non-league football friendly for Margate FC
Musician Pete Doherty has made his non-league football debut as he led Margate FC out as captain in a singer and guitarist for The Libertines, who sponsor Margate FC, signed for the club in order to take part in their match against Tonbridge Angels on wearing the number 10 and a brown hat, played about five minutes before being subbed off to do a soundcheck at nearby Dreamland ahead of a concert the same Owen, Margate FC's chairman, said: "It was fantastic, probably better than any of us imagined when we started putting this together." Margate, who lost 3-2, welcomed about 600 spectators to the game. Owen said: "I'm not sure we saw the best of his footballing skills, I'm not sure he had long enough to kind of show what he was about on that side of things, but apparently he was a player back in the day in his younger days. "But it was a fantastic way to kick off our pre-season, something different for our supporters, a bit of fun for our first game and it seemed to go down really well."The Libertines, who became the main shirt sponsor for the club in 2018, also own a hotel in the area. Owen said: "The reaction on our socials, the reaction on The Libertines' socials, speaking to people at the ground yesterday, reports from our media team as well, it's just been positively received right across the board really."When asked if Doherty could play for the Isthmian League South East Division-club again, Mr Owen said: "Never say never. We'll see."
The Sun
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Iconic music star, 46, captains non-league side and takes kick-off before being subbed within minutes
ICONIC music star Pete Doherty swapped the stage for the pitch as he took part in a non-league football match. The Libertines frontman, 46, walked out and took the kick off for Isthmian League South East Division side Margate. 4 4 4 Wearing his iconic hat - and the captain's armband - Doherty led Margate out on the pitch for their pre-season clash with Tonbridge Angels on Saturday. Margate had announced earlier in the week that they had "signed" Doherty and that the star would be making his debut against Tonbridge. A statement read: "We are delighted to announce that we have signed Pete Doherty to make his Margate debut tomorrow against Tonbridge Angels. "See you there, 2:45pm kick-off". However, those hoping to see the indie guitarist play the full 90 minutes were let down after he took the kickoff and was substituted just a few moments later. Perhaps Margate could have done with Doherty up top for longer after they ultimately fell to a 3-2 defeat on the day. Nonetheless, fans loved seeing Doherty make a brief cameo. On social media, one wrote: "The living legend Mr Pete Doherty wearing number 10". While another added: "Pete Doherty playing for Margate FC… never thought he'd be 'The Man Who Would Be Wing'." - a play on The Libertines' tune The Man Who Would Be King And a third posted: "Jacob Adams has shared a pitch with Pete Doherty, what a world we live in". The Libertines have sponsored Margate's kits since 2018/19 season and continue to adorn the front of their shirts for the upcoming campaign. After the game came to a close Doherty was straight back to his usual job, headlining a homecoming gig down the road at Margate venue Dreamland amusement park.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
The 'family' club led by a Champions League winner
A non-league football player-manager says he knows how influential he can be at the club as he brings Champions League experience to the Kent lower leagues. As a teenager Ben Greenhalgh took home a Champions League medal with Inter Milan but now plies his trade with eighth-tier side Margate FC. The former Maidstone and Dartford midfielder says he aims to "go in, put my most into it and hope the club succeeds". He says: "There's a lot of special things about non-league. I think it's a bit more real because you know the fans, and you know how influential you can be to that club." Greenhalgh was 17 when he featured on Sky's Football's Next Star, and won a year's contract at Inter Milan. First team manager Jose Mourinho took an interest in the academy, which meant he often trained with the first team in a year that they won the treble. He travelled with the squad to Madrid, alongside the likes of Wesley Sneijder, Javier Zanetti, and Samuel Eto'o, and they beat Bayern Munich 2-0 in the Champions League final. It's a story celebrated by Margate fans, who have a song about him, singing "Champions League, he's won that too, now he's at Margate, playing in blue." Formed in 1896, Margate FC benefits from the rock'n'roll backing of The Libertines, who sponsor the club's shirts and own a hotel in the area. Links with The Libertines mean the shirts' appeal goes well beyond Margate fans, with kitman Frankie Empsom saying: "It's a godsend for a non-league club like ourselves, something like the sales of the shirt eases the costs paid out for the running of the club." Frankie looks after the kits for seven teams who play at Margate, using two washing machines which he calls Gert and Daisy. He said: "The fact they play in a white kit away can be a nightmare." The club plays in the Isthmian League South East, the eight tier of English football, and is described as "family-orientated", Frankie's sister, Maggie, says. Alongside Frankie, Maggie sells the programmes, and her daughter, Terry, is famous at the club for banging her drum on the sidelines. Terry went to her first game in 1978 when her uncle Frankie was supposed to be babysitting. Maggie joked: "I never should've let him babysit." Terry has only missed four games in the last 13 years, most recently when she started a new job at a nearby care home, which you can see from the club's Hartsdown ground. "They can hear me from there so they know when it's matchday. "I said when I started I'll work all the hours you want but not a Saturday or a Tuesday night," she said. Asked why she does it, she said: "It's almost like therapy, because if you've had a bad week and can get all the angst out by cheering the lads on, it's very cathartic." Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Project set up by football club to help homeless The Libertines sponsor football team Margate FC
