Sean Dyche returns to training in a parody campaign that has gone viral

Sean Dyche is back on a training ground, but as part of a parody advertising campaign rather than in a coaching role. A video of the appearance passed one million views in a matter of hours. Aged 55, Dyche is alongside football influencer Steve Bracknell, wearing a blue tracksuit bearing the Durex logo, and tries in comic scenes to put an amateur team back on the road to success.

In one sequence, Dyche gathers the players in a circle and tells them: “Lads, we’ve still got a long, hard season ahead of us, but the most important thing is to enjoy it.” The former Burnley and Nottingham Forest manager is back in a training environment by an unusual route: Durex enlisted him for content combining football and advertising.

The campaign is part of an unusual partnership. Durex opted to support Woodley United by bringing in Sean Dyche, a former Premier League manager, for a parody advert that prompted online reactions. With the club’s sporting results falling short of its hopes, the campaign has given it attention away from the pitch. The tenth-tier side has consequently become a talking point among football followers in England.