MACCLESFIELD, England (AP) — A soccer team in England’s eighth tier has granted its main striker a period of leave so he can appear on the new series of reality TV show Love Island.
Macclesfield, a club which leads the Northern Premier League West Division by eight points, said Thursday it was disappointed to lose Tom Clare at a key stage of the season but recognized “the incredible opportunity that this represents for both him and his family on a personal level.”
“Tom approached us with the request a number of weeks ago,” the club said, “and we were happy to show the same loyalty that he has to us since becoming one of our first-ever signings back in 2021.”
Macclesfield said the 23-year-old Clare “has expressed his unwavering desire to return to the club after the show.”
Love Island, a popular dating game show in Britain, takes place in South Africa in the next series. It starts Monday.
Clare finished last season as Macclesfield’s top scorer and has a contract until 2024.
Macclesfield was established after former English team Macclesfield Town went out of business in 2020 because it owed debts totaling 500,000 pounds ($600,000).
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