Weekend Offender x Merthyr Town FC. Back to the roots

Weekend Offender is coming home. After more than two decades of growth, global recognition and thousands of loyal fans, the brand decided to remind the world where it really came from. And it came from a town that probably doesn’t make many tourist must-visit lists, but managed to produce one of the most recognisable brands in the Football Casuals world.

Photo: Weekend Offender

Merthyr Tydfil. The place where it all began

This is not a big metropolis. Merthyr is a Welsh working class town that built its identity on mines, hard graft and local pride. In the 19th century it was one of the most important industrial centres in Great Britain. Today it is a place full of contrasts. On one side harsh and tough, on the other charged with culture, music and football, which for many are not just entertainment but a way of life. It was right there on those grey streets, in the shadow of old factories and under the floodlights on matchdays that Weekend Offender was born.

The birth of the brand. Two lads, one direction

Weekend Offender was founded in 2004. Behind it all were Sam Jones and Rhydian Powell. Two lads from Merthyr who lived football, music and the atmosphere of local pubs. They never planned on creating a global brand. They had an idea, a vision and a scene that fed them inspiration every single day. From the very start WO designs were real. Raw. Built on lived experience, not on copying anyone else.

Over time Weekend Offender kept breaking into new markets. It grew, went global and ended up in the wardrobes of people who know what stadium-inspired style is all about. But one thing never changed. The memory of where it all came from.

Photo: Weekend Offender

Merthyr revisited. Out of respect for the roots

The new "Merthyr" tees collection is a symbolic return to the beginnings. Two graphics created specifically with the town that shaped the brand’s mentality in mind. This is not classic merch. It is a tribute to the local community. To the people. To the places that shape character more than any trend ever could.

Weekend Offender is also back at the stadium. Just like when they were kids standing on the bare concrete terraces supporting Merthyr Town FC, now they support the club officially. This season WO is a club sponsor and has put its logos on one of the stands behind the goal. Exactly where Sam and Rhydian spent their youth. This is not a typical corporate partnership. It is a nod to the place that gave them everything.

Photo: Weekend Offender

Photo: Worksop Town FC

Merthyr Town FC. A club that breathes with the town

For the people of Merthyr the local club is much more than a Saturday game. It is the centre of life. A place where memories, local pride and everyday reality all come together, a daily rhythm that for many starts and ends at the stadium. Merthyr Town FC has been through years of ups and downs. There were moments of euphoria and moments when everything was hanging by a thread. The club even came close to financial collapse before the supporters showed what real loyalty means and brought it back to its feet with their own hands.

That mentality, raw, stubborn and loyal to its roots, fits perfectly with the character of Weekend Offender. That is why the brand’s return to working with Merthyr Town FC is not a standard marketing move. It is a natural gesture towards the town that started the whole story and still sits in the background of every WO inspiration.

Fun facts straight from Merthyr:

• Today’s Merthyr Town FC is a semi professional club from Merthyr Tydfil. It plays in the National League North, the sixth tier of the English football pyramid. Home games are played at Penydarren Park, which officially holds around 10,000 fans, mostly standing.
• The town’s club also has a bit of European history that many people have no idea about. In the 1986/87 season Merthyr Tydfil won the Welsh Cup. That earned the club a place in the Cup Winners’ Cup. In the first leg they beat Atalanta 2–1 at home in front of around 8,000 fans at Penydarren Park. In the return leg the Italians turned it around and went through.
• The club we now know as Merthyr Town FC is the result of a fresh start. When the previous side ran into financial trouble, the fans took matters into their own hands and created a new club. Since 2010 Merthyr Town FC has been run fully as a supporters owned club. Officially a club by the fans and for the fans.

Back on the streets where it all began

This collection is a return to the roots in their purest form. Two tees that carry more than just a print. A reminder that it all started on ordinary streets and at a stadium that for many was a second home. Weekend Offender is not only coming back to Merthyr but also proving that real style always grows out of authenticity. One thing is certain. This story will have more chapters and they will be worth the wait.

Photo: Merthyr Town FC