In the world of football, there are essentially two types of mascot. The first is the one that is associated with the football club, such as Mighty Red, the Liverbird-themed one that represents Liverpool, or the combo-boiler known as Boiler Man, who is West Bromwich Albion’s mascot.
The other type of mascot is the small child, who lines up with the players before a game kicks off and then heads off the pitch so that the action can get underway. Peter Crouch would doubtless look silly dressed in a costume, so why was it that he was holding hands with a player prior to a non-league game?
Peter Crouch the Farnham Town Mascot
Peter Crouch walked out as a mascot for non-league side Farnham Town as punishment for finishing last in his fantasy football league last season 🤣
📸 @FarnhamTownFC pic.twitter.com/GE5oNfrhij
— 433 (@433) September 7, 2025
Farnham Town fans who turned up to watch their team play on the sixth of September 2025 might have wondered if the club had made a new signing when they saw Peter Crouch emerge onto the football pitch. The six-foot-seven striker had a career that saw him play for the likes of Queens Park Rangers, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, so the idea of him playing for a non-league side isn’t exactly far-fetched. If they didn’t already know why it was that the lanky forward was at The Memorial Ground in Farnham, they’d have soon realised that something was afoot.
Having taken part in the pre-match meet and greets that mascots get to do as part of the full match day mascot experience, he trotted out onto the pitch with the newly promoted side, holding hands with one of their players as is common for mascots to do. When the half-time whistle was blown, Crouch joined the other mascots in a half-time show, going on to have dinner with his fellow mascots in the wake of Farnham’s 2-2 draw, which helped to maintain their unbeaten start to the season. He then posed for pictures with surprised members of the 2,200-capacity crowd at the stadium.
Don’t Lose a Bet
Anyone who has ever taken part in a Fantasy Football game with friends will be all too aware of the necessity to come up with a forfeit that the loser has to carry out. Crouch hosts a podcast named in his honour, imaginatively called That Peter Crouch Podcast, on which he is often joined by Steve Sidwell and Chris Stark. The trio agreed on a punishment for their league, which would see the loser lining up as a mascot for a non-league team. Crouch lost and Farnham Town duly welcomed him to their lineup of mascots for their clash against Sholing in the September.
The two teams were playing in the Southern League Premier Division South at the time, which is why there were only a limited number of people inside the stadium for Crouch’s humiliation. It isn’t the first time that the trio have stitched each other up based on the result of what is actually a prediction league, rather than a Fantasy Football league. In the past, Stark was forced to become a dancer at the PDC World Darts Championship when he came last in the league in the December of 2023, whilst Sidwell had to be a life model for a class at the Dulwich Art Group in the May of 2024, posing for more than an hour with no clothes on when he lost.
Did Crouch Get Lucky with His Punishment?
Fantasy Football players up and down the land might well feel that Peter Crouch actually got quite lucky with the punishment that he had to carry out for coming last in the predictions league. People from countries up around the world have often engaged in such pranks as punishment for failing to perform well in their Fantasy Football league, whether the American version or the association football alternative that is played. Here is a look at some of the other punishments that have been meted out to Fantasy Football losers over the years:
Performing Standup
There are few things more exposing than standing in front of a room full of strangers and trying to make them laugh. Even some hardened comedians find it a struggle, so your heart really does go out to the Fantasy Football losers who have had to do just that as their punishment.
Public Announcement
One of the key things behind a Fantasy Football punishment is to let people know that you lost and other people won. One of the most cringeworthy punishments, therefore, is the public announcement that labels you as a loser. People have done things such as take out a full advertisement in the newspaper or posted a story on LinkedIn. This is one that offers no hiding place.
Getting a Body Wax
There will always be some members of a Fantasy Football league who aren’t too bothered by the idea of this, whilst others will know that they are so hairy as to mean that getting a full body wax is about the most painful experience that they can imagine. If that’s you and this is your league’s punishment, make sure you perform well in the season.
A Tattoo
Getting a tattoo is an extremely personal thing, with most people spending weeks if not months thinking about what to get. Imagine, therefore, the disgrace in having to get a tattoo of the winners’ choosing for losing your Fantasy Football league. It is something that has been done countless times, but is never any less funny for the winners.
Wearing a Costume
Whether it’s going to see the new Superman film dressed up as the eponymous hero or it’s a chance to go shopping dressed as Elsa from Frozen, forcing someone to wear a fancy dress costume as punishment is a great way to humiliate them.