A SOUTH Cumbrian amateur football club welcomed one of the oldest and most famous football brands in the country for an advert filming.

Admiral Sportswear spent the day shooting their latest ad and social media campaign at Hillard Park, home to Ambleside United Amateur Football Club.

The English fashion brand chose the club to launch its new AW24 collection because of the club’s breathtaking backdrop of the Lake District’s rolling hills.

Chairman of Ambleside United Dan Nevinson said he was approached a couple of months ago by Admiral Sportswear asking if they could have a look around the pitch and facilities.

"They were very impressed," Mr Nevinson said.

"We’re very lucky to play football at Hillard Park. It’s one of the most picturesque places to play football in the country.

“The weather didn’t particularly play ball, but that’s the Lake District – it always rains.

“They gave us a £250 donation and some footballs to come and use our club for the day, but we would have done it for free.

"A lot of our committee members went and sat with their team all day. It was intriguing to see how they did everything.

“The pictures and videos that have come out look brilliant. We’ve gained a relationship with them too, which is really good.

"They’ve offered to us some kits and bits and pieces as well, but we’ve just got our new kits and training tops, so it might be something we look at doing next year.

"They’ve also said they want to come back and do some other stuff.

“It was brilliant for their team to shine a light on our football club.”

Founded in 1914, Admiral Sportswear designed Ambleside United’s league-winning kit in the 1970s.

“We’ve got a lot of history having been founded in 1896 and we’re very proud of that,” added Dan, who played for the club in the 2000s.

“Grassroots football wouldn’t exist without volunteers and people that put a lot of time into the club.

“We had a kit from the 1970s which was an Admiral kit that they knew about.

“It’s only a small little picture in the clubhouse. You have to have a proper look to recognise it is an Admiral kit.”