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Football

04th Aug 2018

West Brom’s ‘Boiler Man’ mascot has confused a lot of fans

Most football mascots are something fun and light-hearted like an animal, but West Brom decided to go with a household appliance

Reuben Pinder

Bet he was boiling in that outfit…

The Football League season began today, and with it a few new names. West Brom played their first game in the second flight for eight years after a toothless relegation from the Premier League last season.

The Baggies lost to Bolton 2-1 thanks to an 89th minute goal from Bolton substitute Yanic Wildschut, but incredibly that was not the most surprising part of the game.

No, that came on the touchline, in the form of West Brom’s new mascot, who is a boiler. Yeah, the thing that heats the water in your house. A big, white, square boiler.

Usually, mascots come in the form of people in animal costumes. Pete and Alice the Eagles at Crystal Palace, for example. Fred the Red. Gunnersaurus. There’s a generic formula and it works. But West Brom decided to shake things up this season and have a household appliance cheering them on from the side of the pitch.

There is a reason behind this, obviously, though it remains really fucking weird. West Brom’s new prinipal sponsor is Ideal Boilers and as part of the deal, the Baggies appear to have agreed to advertise the company’s product on a matchday by dressing someone up as a boiler.

The poor soul who was stuck in the outfit this afternoon did make the most of his chance to entertain the fans. Somebody had to, etc. etc.

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