Swansea favourite is to leave this summer, but he'll undoubtedly appreciate that 6,729 miles away there's a gardener wearing a Swansea shirt bearing his name
When Alan Tate first made his debut for Swansea we were battling relegation to the Conference, and money was so tight the owners were paying tradesmen in season tickets in a bid to keep the club afloat, and the stadium safe.
Fast forward ten years and we're sitting in fifth in the Premiership - quite a remarkable rise which has been well documented, and with an increase in stature comes an inevitable increase in exposure. Especially with the global reach of the Premier League.
Back to Tate, and he has already been in the news this week when it was revealed he'd be leaving this summer (link), so to see photos of a gardener wearing a shirt bearing his name in far off Tanzania really made my day. I'm sure Tate never expected to see his name in such far flung locations.
They show Swansea fan Alex Graham, currently volunteering at the Newlands Orphanage near Moshi, Tanzania, with local gardener Richard - who's clearly a fan of the Swansea hero. Who'd have thought that around twelve years after Tate made his first appearance for the Swans, our reach as a club would be this broad?
I have no idea how he came to possess the shirt (Alex's post to Facebook didn't elaborate), but I for one was very pleased to see someone so far away rocking Tatey's name across their back. We don't know where Tate will be playing next year, but he'll forever hold a place in the hearts of Swansea fans.
As mentioned, Alex is currently volunteering in Tanzania, working with Newlands Orphanage. They're just short of their target in terms of donations, and it would be great if we could help raise the last bit of money they need to provide clean drinking water to the children there. You can donate to the project by clicking here: link