MACCLESFIELD, ENGLAND – APRIL 02: A general view outside the Leasing.com Stadium is seen prior to the North West Counties Football League match between Macclesfield FC and AFC Liverpool at Leasing.com Stadium on April 02, 2022 in Macclesfield, England. (Photo by James Gill/Getty Images)
Macclesfield FC is about to get represented in a new way off the pitch.
The club, which competes in England's eighth-tier league Northern Premier League West Division, announced on Thursday it allowed its star striker Tom Clare to take a temporary leave so he could participate in the latest edition of "Love Island" beginning Monday.
“Tom approached us with the request a number of weeks ago,” the club said in the statement, “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.”
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The 23-year-old has an "unwavering desire" to return to the team once his time on the show concludes, and the club recognized “the incredible opportunity that this represents for both him and his family on a personal level.”
"Love Island" is a popular Britain-based dating game show, boasting 3.6 million followers on Instagram and 1.4 million on Twitter. The new series will transpire in South Africa.
The show already began promoting Clare's role in the upcoming series.
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Clare finished the 2021-22 season as Macclefield's top scorer, playing a pivotal part in its promotion up the National League ranks. It had previously been as high as the EFL League Two, England's fourth-tier league, in 2019-20.
