Crawley Town have confirmed that three Youtubers – including the Sidemen’s Tobi ‘TBJZL’ Brown – will begin training with their first-team squad.
In September, the club announced that they would be sending scouts to watch the Sidemen Charity Match at Charlton Athletic’s stadium – with the hopes of recruiting some players.
And that’s exactly what happened after the club announced that Tobi, along with his two brothers Manny and Jed Brown, are in contention to make their FA Cup debuts for the League Two side next week.
YouTubers and brothers Tobi Brown (L), Manny Brown (R) and Jed Brown will train with Crawley
The League Two side released a statement on their website confirming the decision
The YouTubers will start training on November 1st and, in a statement on their website, the club confirmed: ‘All three players will be further evaluated by coaches and staff during the session for possible inclusion in the team for the Red Devils’ upcoming FA Cup match against Accrington Stanley on 5 November.
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‘Tobi and Manny recently starred in the 2022 Sidemen FC Charity Match in September, where Crawley scouts were on hand to evaluate participating players as part of WAGMI United’s recent partnership with The Sidemen.’
‘The FA’s bylaws dictate that any player who has formally registered as part of a club is eligible to be named to the squad and potentially compete in FA Cup matches.’
The two internet stars featured – and both scored – in their charity match that took place at The Valley and was watched by a sold-out crowd of 25,000 fans.
The brothers even combined for a sensational goal in the match – which finished 8-7 on the day – as eldest sibling Tobi produced a ‘trivela’ cross to supply Manny with a header inside the box.
The trio of brothers were scouted after playing in the Sidemen Charity Match in September
Tobi ‘TBJZL’ Brown – member of the Sidemen – is one of the UK’s biggest social media stars
Co-Chairman of Crawley Town Football Club, Preston Johnson, said: ‘We’re excited to have Tobi, Manny and Jed joining us for training on Tuesday, and we’re looking forward to seeing what they can bring to the club.
‘Depending on how they perform, we may extend offers to continue training with the lads on a trial basis and potentially compete for a spot on the bench for the Accrington Stanley match.
‘As we’ve said before, it’s fairly unlikely they’d get on the pitch unless the game is well in hand, but we want to give them the opportunity to show Lewis and the staff what they can do in training and then go from there.’
The statement also said: ‘While Crawley Town FC remains fully committed to winning our first-round match, the club also looks forward to the possibility of these new recruits joining our team on a trial basis for training and the matchday experience.’
The YouTubers could make their professional debuts at Broadfield Stadium next weekend
KSI, who’s part of TBJZL’s YouTube group, has spearheaded crossover events for internet stars
The trio of brothers become the latest internet stars to step away from their computers and into the sporting world.
KSI – a notable member of the Sidemen – has been one of the pioneers for social media stars in this sense and has put on a number of boxing events. In August, the YouTuber headlined a card in which he faced two opponents in one night at the O2 Arena.
And his brother Deji, who also built his career on YouTube, is scheduled to fight legendary boxer Floyd Mayweather in an exhibition bout in Dubai next month – despite only having one professional win.
Meanwhile, American YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul is currently preparing for his sixth professional bout against UFC legend Anderson Silva on Saturday.
British YouTuber Deji – brother of KSI – is preparing to fight legend Floyd Mayweather