A NEW football club kicked off by two best friends in the early days of the pandemic has sealed a new kit sponsorship deal with Yiayias at The Fox pub in Lower Bourne.

Chairman Harley Blakeway and reserve team manager Jack Goldsworthy, both 23, launched Upper Hale FC on July 20 last year, and already have 55 players on their books.

The club’s two adult teams play in the Guildford and Woking league on Saturdays and the Aldershot and Camberley league on Sundays.

And Harley and Jack, who have known each other "since Year 3", now have plans to launch a third team, and start a ’mini-kickers’ team for four to six year olds.

"It was just a lockdown thing that spiralled," said Harley.

"There wasn’t really a team in north Farnham for younger lads, and we were just looking for something to get us out and about last summer."

Jack added: "We both work in education, so had a lot of time on our hands. And a few of the boys, coming out of lockdown, their mental health wasn’t right, so we thought what can we do to get them back playing football?"

"It’s great fun, and the social side is fantastic," Harley continued. "We’ve done a lot for charity too. Last year we all grew our ’tasches for Movember, and we’re all going out wearing pink next week for Breast Cancer Now."

Harley, who used to work at Yiayias, thanked pub owner Paul Pyrgoudes for his support - without which he says the club "would have been in a sticky situation!".

Find @fc_upper on Twitter or @upper_halefc on Instagram.