Middlesbrough Football Club will stage a community performance involving 300 dancers and a new composition on the Riverside Stadium pitch ahead of the club's match against Cardiff City on 17 October. The performance marks the club's 150th anniversary.
The Tees Valley Music Service has arranged the event, which brings together community choirs, youth choirs, dancers from youth dance companies, schools, colleges and community groups across Teesside.
The Sound of Teesside
A new song titled The Sound of Teesside will premiere during the performance. Tom Powell, who produced the composition, described it as a programmatic orchestral work designed to reflect the character of Middlesbrough and Teesside.
The piece opens with authentic crowd recordings to create a sense of anticipation and pre-match excitement before a musical "kick-off". At its centre is an emotional "half-time" section featuring commentary from the late Alastair Brownlee during Middlesbrough's UEFA Cup run, including his well-known line: "Everybody round my house for a Parmo".
Powell said he wanted the music to capture more than the football club alone. "I wanted the music to sound like Teesside. Not just the football club, but the town, its people, its humour, its history, its resilience and its optimism," he said.
"I wanted this piece to feel hopeful. Proud of our past, proud of our people, and excited for our future."
Community involvement
Young musicians from Tees Valley Music Service contributed to creating the song. A spokesperson for Middlesbrough Football Club said: "Celebrating our 150th anniversary is a huge milestone for the club. We are so proud to bring our community together on the Riverside pitch with our fans, our players and everyone involved with our town."
The club described the 300 young dancers and musicians as "incredible" and said the performance "perfectly captures our town's unique spirit, resilience, and history".
