Bodog chooses model way to launch new shirt

Ayr United FC have been having a tough time lately. In an effort to help the pain of the last season’s abject disappointed, the Scottish League One club has enlisted the help of lingerie model Emma Glover. Taking a look at the promotional images, we’d say football failure would be the last thing on anyone’s mind.

Ayr United very narrowly avoided relegation in the 2014/2015 season thanks to a an exciting victory over Forfar Athletic but didn’t give the fans much reason to celebrate. Nearly failing isn’t quite the same as winning is it? A mid-season manager change, in which Ian McCall took over from Mark Roberts, looks to be an opportunity for the team to do better in the coming season.

Part of that plan involves the launch of a new team kit and online operator Bodog will be sponsoring the new purple ensemble. Having sponsored Ayr United for five seasons, Bodog is clearly committed to the club, in spite of its performance of late. In that vein, Bodog has gotten creative with the launch of the new uniform.

UK model and popular Twitter celeb Emma Glover was chosen to demonstrate the 2015/2016 away strip, which is expected to go on sale at the end of the month. Adult sizes will be £45 with child sizes costing £36.

Originally founded in 1994 as a technology supplier established betting firms, Bodog has a history of sporting sponsorship deals, including contracts with Premier League teams Arsenal and West Brom. The Antigua-based company have also made deals in the Canadian Football League and National Hockey League.

The betting operator, which has famously changed its business strategy several times, has sponsored the Scottish League One side for five years.

UK model Emma Glover is no stranger to stripping off and Bodog took the opportunity to try a different tack, namely by convincing Glover to model a painted-on version of the kit. Wearing nothing but a layer of paint, Glover appeared on promotional material for the new launch and no doubt stole the limelight away from the purpose of the event altogether.

While Glover will no doubt help distract from the sins of the past, Ayr United fans are hanging on to the hope that the 2015/2016 season won’t break their hearts all over again. New manager McCall announced the re-signing of midfielder Brian Gilmour on a one-year contract with the club, with the intention of placing him further forward on the field than where he would normally have played before.

Defender Martyn Campbell has also recently been re-signed, and Nicky Dellin, Peter Murphy, Adam Blakeman and JP McGovern have also received offers from Ayr United. McCall is also pinning his hopes on Alan Forest and Robbie Crawford, who he described as “the two best young players not only in this league but in Scotland in my view.”

Updated on 10th April 2019