The beautiful game is considered poetry in motion by some fans, but one football club has taken the idea further by signing a poet.
Lowland League side Selkirk are thought to be the first in the country to hire a poet in residence with the hope being he will inspire the team to the league title.
Award-winning writer Thomas Clark, 35, will be their resident poet for the season, with his poetry appearing in match day programmes and an end-of-season anthology.
Mr Clark, from Hawick, Scottish Borders, said: "It's a brilliant opportunity.
"Selkirk are the oldest football club in the Borders, one of the oldest in the country, and I'm looking forward to delving into that fascinating history through my poems.
"I'm very excited to have been appointed here."
He hopes the team can build on their early form with a run in the Scottish Cup - one of the oldest tournaments in world football - which he feels could inspire some poetry.
"Cup runs are the real stuff of poetry. It would be great if Selkirk could go on a wee run in the Scottish Cup this year.
"But the Lowland League is never short of drama, and I'm sure that, whatever happens, there'll be plenty to write home about."
Thomas is also a former footballer having previously played for Hamilton Academical and Hawick Royal Albert.
His published works includes a collection of Chinese poetry interpreted into Scots and a Glaswegian retelling of Alice in Wonderland.
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