David Shrigley designs new Partick Thistle mascot

HE is the Turner Prize-nominated artist whose quirky cartoons have earned him a cult following.

New mascot Kinglsey with Partick Thistle managing director Ian Maxwell and long-time Jags fan, David Shrigley. Picture: SNS

Now David Shrigley’s handiwork is to feature on the shirts of his adopted fooballing heroes - after he helped them secure a lucractive sponsorship deal with American investment firm.

The 46-year-old Glasgow School of Art graduate struck up a rapport with the co-founder of California-based Kingsford Capital Management after regaling him with tales of following Partick Thistle at a dinner in San Francisco.

Mike Wilkins was so taken with the travails of “The Jags”, who currently play in the Scottish Premiership, that he approached the club to offer to back them in a two-year deal.

And after the two parties drew up a six-figure package, Shrigley agreed to help design not only a special logo to put the seal on the deal but a new thistle-shaped mascot for the side, which is bright yellow and has been dubbed Kingsley.

Wilkins is already a shareholder in both the American football team Pittsburgh Steelers and basketball side Golden State Warriors.

However he also a strong artistic background, having been an artist, author and screenwriter, with his previous films including The Independent, with Ben Stiller, and Oscar-nominated short film Birch Street Gym.

He is also on the board of commissioners of one of America’s leading museums, the Smithsonian, in Washington.

He said: “I had been looking for an opportunity to get involved with something like this in the UK for a while but hadn’t been able to find the right match.

“When I got talking to David Shrigley about Partick Thistle it seemed like it could be the perfect fit. The next step for me was to speak directly to the club.

“I must say that every conversation I had with the club, from start to finish, went really well and certainly built the impression that this was an organisation I very much wanted to be involved with.

“The perspective of the board, relating to business, sport and community, is really encouraging and I look forward to my interactions with the club and its fans.

“I hope that this relationship will become more than just your average sponsorship deal. As a commissioner of the Smithsonian, I understand the power of art to communicate a shared spirit. It is very much like sport in that regard and, with David’s help and genius, I hope we can bring something unique and new to an already fantastic club.”

Cheshire-born Shrigley, who previously revealed that he decided to pursue art when he realised he could not be a footballer or astronaut, has described the sport as “one of the big loves in my life.”

Shrigley said: “As a Jags man it’s an honour to be involved with the club in this way.

“I can’t wait to see my design on the front of the shirts and around Firhill and just hope the fans like what we’re trying to do.

“It’s safe to say we have a few surprises in store for the supporters and we’re already in talks with a few other artists to arrange some pretty exciting giveaways over the course of the season.”

Ian Maxwell, the club’s managing director, said: “Getting a sponsor like this on board, an American financial services firm, is a real coup for us. It has been part of our long term strategy to begin attracting new sources of funding to the club and this is a fantastic way to start.

“We need to look at how to attract new people to football in Scotland, both in terms of funding and in terms of supporters, and some of the ideas that Mike and David have already brought to the table are really interesting. Everyone at the club is excited to start working closely with Kingsford Capital over the next two years and I for one hope that Mike really becomes a part of the club.

“Partick Thistle is much more than just a football club and I certainly hope that this partnership too will turn into much more than just a sponsorship deal in the weeks, months and years to come.”