One Direction singer signs on as a footballer

LONDON (Reuters) - Singer Louis Tomlinson of boy band One Direction has signed for English Championship side Doncaster Rovers on a non-contract basis and could play for their development squad this season, the club has announced.

Performer Louis Tomlinson from One Direction with his friend in the front row at the Unique for Topshop Autumn/Winter 2013 collection during London Fashion Week

Performer Louis Tomlinson from One Direction with his friend in the front row at the Unique for Topshop Autumn/Winter 2013 collection during London Fashion Week

Tomlinson 21, heartthrob to millions of teenaged girls around the world, has also been given squad number 28 which qualifies him to play for the club's first team in the second tier of English football, although that is unlikely to happen.

"This has always been a childhood dream for me," said Tomlinson, whose band are one of the biggest in the world and are preparing for a worldwide stadium tour starting next May.

A statement on the club's website (www.doncasterrovers.co.uk) said: "Louis has always been passionate about football and wanted to realise a dream of signing for his home town club where he once worked on match days."

He has also played at the club's Keepmoat Stadium in charity games and his signing for Doncaster is mainly to help raise funds for a local children's charity.

There are numerous links between the worlds of music and football but not many pop stars have signed for professional clubs.

Rod Stewart came close and had trials with London side Brentford before embarking on a full-time music career.

(Reporting by Mike Collett, editing by Amlan Chakraborty)


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: Reuters


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world