the Gaza Strip

Football shirts sponsorship has thrown up some perplexing deals over the years. In the early years of the concept in the 1980s we were treated to cultural oddities such as West Bromwich Albion's kit featuring the No Smoking logo, and Cardiff City's tie in with the makers of children's cartoon Superted. There were also the deals that would lead to shirts becoming cult classics in later years; Coventry's giant T design shirt, made specifically to incorporate sponsors Talbot, and the legendary Oxford United shirt honouring Wang computers. Even now there remains some left-field deals, such as Sheffield United's insistance that everyone should Visit Malta.

Given the ruthlessness of modern-day football marketing it is surprising to discover that the first club to pluck for shirt sponsorship in this country were not Manchester United, nor Liverpool, not even sock-tag wearing Leeds United. Instead it was those perpetual trend-setters Kettering Town. In January 1976, thanks to a 'four-figure deal' brokered by chief executive Derek Dougan, the Poppies took to the field for their Southern League match with Bath City complete with shirts bearing the slogan of 'Kettering Tyres', although the FA predictably banned the shirts within days of the match.

However, thirty years on and Kettering are continuing to blaze a trail in the shirt sponsorship with their current kit which has as it's sponsor Palestine. Thanks to a deal with Interpal, a charitable organisation who distribute aid in Palestinian territories the Nortamptonshire town has had endured a rare triple header of media coverage; featuring in the sports, business and news sections of many a paper during their FA Cup run. In other countries football can be very political, in the UK it is a very apolitical sphere and so for a non-league side to highlight the suffering of others at the expense of potential income from a local timber firm is particularly subversive.

So where will supporters' minds be come Saturday's FA Cup third round tie with fellow non-leaguers Eastwood Town? Will they be focused on the task in hand and progression to a potential money-spinning fourth round tie against a Premier League side? Or will they generally quite melancholy about the football on offer as their attention and concerns lie with the shelling and gunfire currently landing on Palestinian territories? Which strip do you choose; home strip or Gaza strip?