Sunderland FC have become the first football club to catch the Big Brotherbug by launching their own interactive reality competition to promote their new website www.safc.com.
The "One of the Lads" contest kicked off last weekend with seven candidates, selected from over 10,000 entrants, vying for the top prize, which is a place in Sunderland’s squad.
The winner will be awarded the Number 73 jersey and will get to train with the stars for the whole season. He will also travel on the team coach, appear in team photos, and represent the clubs at a number of official receptions.
Voting began on Saturday, and this morning saw the elimination of the first candidate, Ian Younger. The 19-year-old goalkeeper is the only one of the contestants who actually believed winning the competition could launch a professional playing career.
Of the six remaining men, only one is not a Sunderland-supporter. Manchester United fan Phil Harrap is hoping to rally the support of all non-Sunderland fans but is hotly tipped to be booted out at the next designated eviction time - 9 a.m. this Wednesday morning.
The final two contestants will appear at half-time in Sunderland's game against Blackburn Rovers at the Stadium of Light this Saturday.
Votes will continue to be counted until the winner is announced at a press conference with Sunderland manager Peter Reid on September 10th.
Fans can vote in each eviction on the club's website, which also carries mini biographies of the One Of The Lads hopefuls.