The PlaySport Football League has had an excellent first season so far at its new home at Chaucer School which has already seen everything you’d expect to see in any University football fixture. Grit, determination, the odd nutmeg and plenty of goals. However, this season has also brought something a little different in the form of Gillingham Brundle.

Gillingham Brundle FC are a newly formed team who all have a very interesting shared inspiration. The obvious assumption would be that they are all fans of Kent’s biggest football team Gillingham Football Club. You’d be wrong to make that assumption. One may also think that perhaps the players are all from sunny Gillingham. This is also not the common inspiration .

The players are all actually studying Primary Education and their shared inspiration is senior lecturer and course director for Primary Ed – Mrs Gill Brundle.

Brundolian Ali Qasim said, “I didn’t know many of the lads on my course that well during first year but now in second year we’ve decided to enter the league! We decided to name ourselves Gilllingham Brundle FC after our course director – Gill Brundle! All the boys thought it was an excellent idea and were hoping to get a positive reaction from her; which we did! As all the boys are part of Primary Education, we thought it would be great to invite our tutors to our games and a few have attended and supported the team.”

Gill Brundle who is apparently a real football fan had this to say regarding having a team named after her, “Clearly, taking someone’s name is a little forward but I have a hart, and don’t get defensive about these things. I think the name is a good match and certainly a keeper. I’m passionate about languages and sport so I enjoyed the word play involved in the naming of the Primary Ed football team and I wish them every success.”

With spaces available to join the league again for January this isn’t likely to be the last team named affectionately after their lecturer. Rumours around campus suggest that Sports Science are preparing to launch MJ Southampton FC after Sports Psychology lecturer Martin (MJ) Southam.

If you’re interesting in joining one of the teams in the Football, Futsal or Netball leagues or fancy setting up your own, please email playsport@canterbury.ac.uk