N.L. jerseys to be worn in match against soccer superstars Chelsea FC

Newfoundland and Labrador's name is set to grace the stadiums of one of soccer's biggest teams later in September.

The provincial government recently announced that it would be the new front jersey sponsor for Barrow AFC, a professional soccer club in the United Kingdom. The partnership, which will last for two seasons, cost $171,000.

Barrow AFC is a fourth-tier team but on Sept. 23 they'll be playing against Chelsea FC, one of the sport's premier teams — meaning more eyes will fall on Newfoundland and Labrador's logo. 

The decision to partner with the club has been heavily criticized since the June announcement. Tony Wakeham, leader of the PC Party, has called it a "total waste of money." Gerry Byrne, the minister responsible for immigration at the time of the decision, however, says the move will draw people to the province.

"The truly global audience that professional English football has achieved will allow Newfoundland and Labrador to be promoted and featured to millions of viewers as a welcoming place to live and work on an incredible level," Byrne said in a press release about the partnership in June.

Playing the game

Adrian Sousa, the owner of soccer YouTube channel Rabona TV, says Barrow's upcoming match with Chelsea is significant.

The two teams are fighting for the EFL Cup, a competition open to the top four levels of English football. Although Barrow is a few levels below Chelsea, the game gives the club a chance to climb the ladder.

"This [game] is basically that age-old term 'David versus Goliath,'" said Sousa. "That is what this is. You know, Chelsea are one of the biggest teams in the world really, not just within England, but in the world.… I believe they're the eighth most followed football team in the world, which is crazy."

As for Barrow FC, the EFL League Two team with "Newfoundland and Labrador" emblazoned on their chests, Sousa said, "They really are a smaller club that's looking to grow."

Governments sponsoring sports teams for tourism is not unheard of, he said, but the N.L. government's deal is a strange situation. 

"It seems like a little bit of a gamble because it's a smaller market," Sousa said. "The main focus will be a hope that Barrow will make these deep runs in the cup competitions and bring a lot of eyes to Newfoundland and Labrador — which is a bizarre way of getting them. But if it works, it works."

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