Peterborough fans faced an onslaught of blue at London’s Wembley Stadium recently as Birmingham City FC supporters rolled out a massive UFABRIK Flag Textile during the Vertu Trophy Final.
The giant flag, measuring a hefty 35m x 37m, was produced by Hollywood Monster, a longtime signage and branding supplier to Birmingham City FC. The UFABRIK Flag Textile was printed using the EFI VUTEk Q5r UV LED 5m printer. It was also finished in-house, ensuring it would withstand the enthusiastic handling of over 1,000 supporters who held it up during the match.
“We are great fans of Birmingham City FC and UFABRIK textiles,” said Simon McKenzie, CEO of Hollywood Monster. “We’ve enjoyed a 30-year relationship with Birmingham City FC that spans 3 decades. What began with producing traditional wooden pitch side signs has evolved into creating cutting-edge digital signage and massive fabric installations that showcase the technological journey that both our companies have been on. These massive fan flags convey the strength of the supporters’ love and loyalty towards their team.”
The UFABRIK flag material proved ideal for this application. Compatible with dye sublimation direct, paper transfer, and now UV, it offers the perfect combination of lightweight handling characteristics needed for such a sizeable crowd-surfing display. Its vibrant colour reproduction was ideal for its visual impact on TV, social media, and fans in the stadium.
“UFABRIK flag textile is an extremely versatile media, which can be used across dye sublimation and UV print technologies. Hollywood Monster is the first print company to run it through a UV printer, and the results have been stunning,” said Damien Clarke, Sales Director, UFABRIK.
Hollywood Monster’s expertise in creating oversized banners extends well beyond football stadiums. Its portfolio includes truly monster-sized projects, such as a massive 270m x 40m banner made for the Westfield Shopping Centre launch in Stratford, East London, in 2012—one of the largest printed banners ever produced in the UK.
As Birmingham FC prepares for the Championship next season, this vast fan flag symbolises the passionate support that has always surrounded the club—a tradition Hollywood Monster has helped visualise through UFABRIK and its evolving print technologies.
