Meet the grassroots team Chase and Status sponsor that are hoping to win over Fulham fan Hugh Grant
Hammersmith FC are the perfect underdog story - and they've needed more than Blind Faith from Chase & Status to grab their support.
The multi-award-winning electronic music duo have had collaborations with Plan B, CeeLo Green, Rihanna, and now, a grassroots football team from west London.
Hammersmith FC, the brainchild of football fanatics Tommy Fish and Akin Okunola during the Covid lockdown, play in a league outside the English league system.
And yet they have a sponsor that would be the envy of some of the top teams in the capital.
Saul Milton and Will Kennard, the duo behind Chase & Status, have collaborated with sportswear brand Kappa to sponsor Hammersmith FC.
During an exclusive interview with talkSPORT.com, Hammersmith chairman Fish explained: "When you're from a specific area, and your team names associated with an area, I will always think who else is from the area who we could work with down the line.
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"Hammersmith is littered with big names like Hugh Grant, Lily Allen, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, and Status. We always knew he was from Hammersmith. And it was something we thought one day we maybe reach out.
"Then a friend of mine who works in music, with Chase & Status management. He was like, 'no, no, you should need to speak to them, I reckon they'll be up for it'. So he made the introduction.
"I pitched the club's vision and what we're about to Chase & Status' management - they absolutely loved it, it was a match made in heaven. Back to the grassroots!"
Hammersmith FC's men's team have just won back-to-back titles to reach the Southern Amateur Football League, having only formed in 2020.
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The women's team now compete in the Greater London Women’s Football League and have an even more remarkable tale - that also included lifting successive titles - and it all started following a chance meeting with talkSPORT's own Eni Aluko.
Fish added: "We always had [formation of women's team] on the roadmap, but the expediting of it was inspired by Eni Aluko.
"Aki was doing some work at White City house and she was there and she's got Nigerian heritage as does he, so he went straight over and plucked up the courage to talk to her.
"She was really lovely and welcoming and was like look if you need any help or advice for setting your women's team up just let me know.
"Then she ended up being like a quasi-ambassador for the club and doing a podcast with us and really kind of helped propel the women's team.
"We haven't really seen much of her since but she was the catalyst basically for the formation of our women's team."
Both Hammersmith FC's men's and women's teams now count Chase & Status as official sponsors.
The duo’s support comes at a crucial time for the club, with soaring costs seeing Hammersmith’s pitch hire rise from £200 a game to £350 overnight.
Fish is hopeful the partnership can attract further investment that would see the formation of kids teams from U6s to 16s and work with schools in the area to develop the overall community.
The release of the club's limited edition Chase & Status kits is a start.
Fittingly Kappa, whose iconic Omini logo features a man and woman sitting back-to-back, was chosen as the supplier.
Fish told talkSPORT.com: "We're kind of sizing up obviously people from the Hammersmith area that we want to gift kits to.
"The idea of having Hugh Grant, Lily Allen or Bashy holding up Hammersmith kits that's just stuff dreams are made off for us."
Being the Wrexham of grassroots football does have its drawbacks, however, with teams desperate to beat Hammersmith once they notice the kits.
"I think it's already been the case", Fish joked.
"Teams will turn up and be like, "Chase & Status, why are they sponsoring these guys we need to beat them."
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That reaction means it's all the more vital to pick the right opponent for when Chase & Status watch a home game from the sidelines.
Fish admitted: "We can't have them coming to a big head-to-head and leaving dejected."