Big Issue vendors were such a hit when they descended on Southampton FC that they have now become stars on Match of the Day.
A team of 14 vendors made the switch from their pitches to a pitch of another kind at St Mary’s Stadium on August 12 to sell the special edition of the magazine at St Mary’s Stadium as Saints drew 0-0 with Swansea City in their Premier League opener.
And their exploits caught the attention of the BBC film crews, who filmed a three-minute feature video that aired on Sunday alongside the latest highlights of this week’s matches.
The video features an interview with Big Issue editor Paul McNamee as well as footage of Saints stars Florin Gardos, Manolo Gabbiadini, Nathan Redmond and Oriol Romeu joining vendors on the streets of Winchester to sell the magazine ahead of the game.
The short segment on Match of the Day had football fans, led by former Olympian Iwan Thomas, flocking to Twitter to praise the partnership between Southampton FC and The Big Issue following the Sunday morning airing on BBC One.