Swift response
Taylor sparks soaring interest in East Kilbride team
She may be more used to the Hollywood lifestyle, but Taylor Swift would be welcome in East Kilbride to see the work being done in the town by an American football team.
Interest in the sport among women has skyrocketed since Swift started dating Travis Kelce, who played in the Super Bowl for winners Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs rallied to beat the San Francisco 49ers 2522, becoming the NFL’s ninth repeat Super Bowl champs.
Music icon Swift, 34, was among the thousands of spectators at the extravaganza, which took place in Paradise, Nevada, just outside Las Vegas. It is a far cry from the experience of the East Kilbride Pirates, Scotland’s top gridiron team.
The club has two women’s teams playing both contact and flag football and coach Craig Robertson would love to see the 14-time Grammy winner, who has Scottish roots, swing by to see the work they are doing.
And he said her connection with the sport was raising interest among young women right here in Scotland.
Speaking to BBC Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland, he said: “I’ve got a young daughter, she likes to listen to Taylor Swift. I’ve got a niece who likes to listen to Taylor Swift.
“They know I play American football. My daughter is quite young, she’s three, but she’s putting two and two together and getting 10 and thinking, ‘Daddy’s going to meet Taylor Swift soon because he plays American football’.
“And I’m not going to put her off that because there’s every chance – you never know, she might want to come down to East Kilbride one night and meet us all.”
While tongue may have been in cheek, Swift will be in Scotland with her Eras tour later this year, so there could be a possibility of her taking in a game.
Mr Robertson added: “The Taylor Swift hype has been fantastic for the sport, the attention and focus she’s bringing from people who would never have looked twice at American football before is incredible, and it’s benefiting the sport.”
Tight end Kelce won his third Super Bowl ring recently. The 34-year-old, who made history by playing against his brother Jason in last year’s match, lined up against the San Francisco 49ers having enjoyed a stellar playoff season.
Swift, currently the biggest pop star in the world, gave him a congratulatory kiss for the cameras after flying across the Pacific from a concert in Tokyo the night before to make it on time.
The famous half-time show featured Usher.