Seven iconic players and matches from Notts County’s history have been immortalised in print by two Nottingham brothers for one of the club’s VIP suites.
Luke (23) and Gabe Cuthbert (20) launched Art of Football in 2013 to design and sell football-inspired prints and t-shirts.
The brothers, from Gamston, were introduced to Notts County by Steve Harcourt, a partner at Baldwins Accountants in Nottingham, after they scooped a £10,000 grant and £10,000 worth of mentoring and accountancy advice for winning Baldwins Accountants’ KickStart Young Entrepreneurs Awards 2014.
Luke said Art of Football’s t-shirts are now sold in Notts County’s club shop and their artwork is on display in the Wheeler’s Suite at Meadow Lane.
“The mentoring from Baldwins is proving really useful because they have some great ideas and, through Steve, we had a meeting with officials from Notts County,” he said.
“Gabe is responsible for all the designs and he has created seven pieces of artwork specifically for the Wheeler’s Suite.
“They are all special players or matches in Notts County’s history and we have given all the designs a title as well.
“There is One and Only which is a design of Notts’ all-time top scorer Les Bradd, Celebration which shows cult hero Charlie Palmer’s celebration against Nottingham Forest in 1994, Committed which is a design of Gary Jones who was one of Notts’ players of the season last year and the Turner Prize which commemorates Notts winning the Anglo-Italian cup in 1995.
“There is also a print called Joy when Notts won the Third Division play-off final in 1989-90, Tommy which needs little introduction for the legendary Tommy Lawton and finally, Born & Bred which is a drawing of homegrown young talent Curtis Thompson.
“We both felt really proud when we saw the prints in the Wheeler’s Suite for the first time and the response from the club and supporters has been fantastic.
“Four of the prints hang in the walls of the club shop as well – One and Only, Tommy, Celebration and Joy.
“I’m now working on Art of Football full-time and Gabe is concentrating on the design in between studying for his degree at the London University of Art.
“The business is going really well and we are finding our t-shirts and prints are selling all-year round and not just during the football season.”
Richard Cokayne, Head of Commercial & Events at Notts County, said the prints evoked fantastic memories for young and old supporters.
“The artwork from Art of Football is great and it appeals to a wide market which is very important for us because our supporters range from children to fans who have supported the club for 60 or 70 years,” he said.
“The prints have become a real talking point for supporters and since Luke and Gabe are from Nottingham it is great to be promoting their talents in their home city.”
Steve Harcourt, who works at Baldwins Accountants in Eldon Business Park, Attenborough, said since launching the business, Art of Football’s prints and t-shirts which capture defining moments in football have been bought by supporters in around 60 countries across the world.
He said: “Luke and Gabe won over the judges at our KickStart Young Entrepreneurs Awards because of the global appeal of the business as well as the high standard of their designs.
“As part of their prize, we have been providing the brothers with accountancy and business advice as well as mentoring and we were delighted to introduce Luke and Gabe to Notts County where we are club sponsors.
“It seems a natural fit and this is a great opportunity to take their business to the next level and approach other football clubs to stock their merchandise.”
