A Liverpool tech entrepreneur has brought football legend Gary Lineker on board as a business partner and brand ambassador in a move he described as a "blessing".
Dijon Moore and his football fan app FANoty have landed one of the world's best-known football figures - and said this week there "wasn't a better ambassador for the brand".
Mr Moore's app is going from strength to strength - and he told BusinessLive in May he had launched talks with a list of Premier League and Championship clubs over lucrative agreements - and becoming a front and back-of-shirt sponsor for a top club.
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Writing on LinkedIn, Mr Moore said: "After, zooms, phone calls and texts it was amazing to meet my business partner and FANoty ambassador face to face.
"He invited me into his home and it was an honour to meet such a genuine and friendly guy.
"We spoke for over an hour of the plans for the brand and the app, the brand and the future of the business. I’ve always had huge plans, but this is one of the first steps to getting there.
"So excited to see the next few months unfold."
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Mr Moore added that as a lifelong football fan, England star, football pundit and face of Match of the Day, "there wasn’t a better ambassador [than Lineker] for the brand.
"Having him on board and bringing his passion for the business is a blessing".
He added: "Thank you to everyone who has contributed on this journey so far and stay tuned for big things in the world of football fan engagement."
BusinessLive reported last year that Mr Moore had created FANoty alongside city app design firm Apposing during the pandemic - and that it had already proved a hit with fans, and was embraced by clubs including Sheffield United and Norwich City.
The app, which was inspired by the "football banter" Mr Moore heard during the time he spent working as a Liverpool barman, combines a fantasy football element as well as news updates, quizzes and other interactive activity.
Earlier this year, Mr Moore's app saw Barcelona-based agency Sportive Ways come on board as equity partners, and Andrew Wainstein - who created Fantasy Football League in 1991 - join the project.
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Mr Moore told BusinessLive: "I always knew from moment I had the idea there was a space in the market for this.
"All my market research told me fans would love the idea. But getting into a crowded market place and forging a new one is never easy, so I didn’t plan to take over the world in one season.
"I have the ambitious target of 1m fans being on the app by the end of next season and am proud to say these projections are still on target."