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New link up between the Bard of Avon and football

I was baffled by the following headline in today's Financial Times: 'Shakespeare makes debut for Stratford FC'.  Did it mean that the Royal Shakespeare Company had signed a sponsorship deal with non-league Stratford Town and that their stadium was to be renamed the Anne Hathaway (following today's simultaneous revelation that she spent time living with the Bard of Avon in London)?

I can only think of one Shakespeare actor's son who played for the Bards, and as for the Bardsmen, their language on the pitch is generally industrial rather than 'forsooth' or 'verily'.

One of my favourite chants was when Leamington were leading the Bards 2-0 at their old ground and Brakes fans broke into a chant of 'Two nil, or not two nil'?

It turns out the latest version of As You Like It has a football setting at Messina FC.  Leonato is the club owner, Don Pedro the team manager, Claudio is the man of the match and Beatrice is a football commentator, appropriately wearing Brakes old gold.

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