Kansas City enjoys new boom time

Before Taylor Swift began attending Kansas City Chiefs games, Delilah, aged four, had shown no interest in American football.

However, since the world’s biggest pop star started dating Travis Kelce, one of the team’s superstars, the little girl runs into the room whenever her favourite singer appears on screen. “People who don’t usually watch the Chiefs are now tuning in,” Delilah’s mother, Corrina Howard, said. “It’s brought little girls into football.”

The Swift effect has pushed the NFL to new heights, and her expected attendance at tomorrow’s Super Bowl may achieve record viewing figures.

Although the showpiece game against the San Francisco 49ers would already have been a massive occasion in Missouri’s biggest city, Swift has added a new dimension. Signs of Swift’s romance with Kelce, 34, are everywhere - at Kansas City airport, hats and T-shirts bear the slogan “I’m just here for Taylor” and sweatshirts with the phrase “In my Red era” - a reference both to a Swift album and to the team’s home colour - are popular at the local clothing store Charlie Hustle.

Kansas City, long considered part of “flyover country” - the parts of America between the trendy coasts - now has glamour, both from Swift and from the all-conquering Chiefs, who hope to win their third Super Bowl in five years. “The last few years have been wonderful after a very long drought,” said Steve Burton, a long-time supporter, noting that before the recent success the team’s last Super Bowl win had been in 1970.

Cara Morris, a 41-year-old lifelong Chiefs fan, is now a confirmed Swiftie despite having previously not listened to her. “I’m a football fan turned Taylor fan. I started listening to her music after she started going to the games. It’s something happy in the news to follow.”