A FOOTBALL team's ‘worst kit in the world’ has gone viral around the globe making TV stars out of its players as they turn the heat up to raise money for charity.

Bedale AFC’s striking pink and orange sausage kit, sponsored by local producers Heckfood, has now starred on major TV shows across Britain, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Turkey and on Fox TV in the USA. French TV has even just spent the weekend recording a film about them, but football club Chairman Martyn Coombs says the most popular accolade so far for the team has been to appear in Pig World Magazine.

The team achieved international renown after their unusal sausage endowed kit which was voted the seventh worst football kit of all time, and a close contender for the top spot.

"We're really absolutely bowled over by the response since the story appeared in the Northern Echo and Darlington and Stockton Times," said Mr Coombs. "Never in my wildest dreams, did I think that a sponsorship deal with Andrew Keeble, the owner of Heckfoods, who I taught at Bedale High School, would have led to where we are today."

"I think we have been very good for each other and I hope we can continue for many years to come. The worldwide press has been so good for Bedale AFC and the town, we are well and truly known around the world."

The TV crew, from France 2, recorded at Heckfoods, to see the sausages being made, before moving on to film at Bedale Sports Club where the AFC reserves sporting their sausage kit beat Addingham AFC 13-0 to keep their place at the top of the Harrogate and District football League Division 1.

The club is putting all the attention to good use, to make money for a charity very close to their hearts. They've started producing a replica Heck sausage kit, so anyone in the world can sport their very own meaty garments with £5 from every sale going to Prostate Cancer. Additional sausage merchandise including umbrellas and cycling shirts are also being produced.

The players support Team Garby, which was set up to support Steve Garbett, a friend who died in November 2014 from cancer."It was one of his wishes to help other prostate cancer patients, so a group of relatives and friends decided to achieve this wish by raising as much as we can to help those in need," said Mr Coombs.

So far an astonishing £143,000 has been raised and the huge support for the sausage kit is set to bring in further funds. Andrew Keeble, of Heckfoods said:"We've been absolutely staggered by the response, who would have thought this partnership would have created so much attention."

Now the players are looking at new possibilities and have come up with "The worst football chant of the year" the Heck song, sung to the tune of The Hippopotamus Song’ by Flanders and Swan. To cope with demand for shirts and information a new website has been set up www.bedaleafc.com