Top Spanish La Liga side Athletic Bilbao have linked up with Sheppey United to help promote non-league football.

Athletic Club have teamed up with six English non-league clubs that play in red-and-white stripes as part of their 2025 Non-League Day celebrations.

It’s the third year running that Athletic Club have linked up with English teams to promote their respective Non-League Day events.

The Ites will receive two shirts, one from the men’s team and one from the women’s side, to raffle off at their Non-League Day fixture, which for Sheppey is against Deal Town on Saturday, March 22. Ahead of the game the Spanish giants will run a feature on the Ites across their media channels.

Inspired by Non-League Day UK, which began in 2010, Athletic Club’s Euskal Non-League Day is an event designed to recognise the fundamental work its affiliated clubs throughout the Basque Country do in serving their communities and producing players for Athletic’s first team.

Athletic Club said: “The opening line of the club’s official anthem, “Athletic gorri ta zuria” (Athletic, red and white), is a powerful expression of the colours’ importance to Athletic’s history and identity, with red and white also being present on the flag of Bilbao.

“What’s more, the Lions’ first red-and-white kits, which made their debut in a 1910 friendly against Sporting Irun, originated from England - although it hasn’t yet been possible to establish for certain whether they came from Sunderland or Southampton.”

Athletic has affiliate agreements with close to 170 clubs across the Basque Country.

Their club is the only side in La Liga that organises such an event with the purpose of celebrating non-professional football and encouraging attendance at local grounds during the March international break.

Athletic Club are currently fourth in the table, behind Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.