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Jacob and his grandad take Hull City to America

Jasmine LoweIn Hull
Jacob Allmendinger A grandad and grandson wearing England football shirts and holding a white and red flag of St George in front of a floral background. On the left, a young man with brown hair and a closely cropped beard wearing a red shirt. On the right, an older man wearing sunglasses and a white shirt. The flag has the words "Hull City AFC written across the centre, the names "Jacob" and "Grandad Geoff" in the lower quadrants and a Hull City tiger badge in the upper right quadrant. Jacob Allmendinger
Geoff Golliker (right) took his grandson Jacob Allmendinger to Hull City games as a boy, before Jacob returned the favour

A grandad and grandson who made headlines during the World Cup have flown to the US to promote the new Premier League season.

The story of Hull City fans Jacob Allmendinger, 21, and Geoff Golliker, 80, went viral when Jacob spent his life savings so they could follow England to the semi-finals of the tournament in North America in July.

Now, the pair have been made Premier League ambassadors and are in Cincinnati, Ohio, to bang the drum for the Tigers' opening match against Manchester United, which kicks off at 12:30 BST.

Geoff said: "I feel really quite proud. Being asked to do this is an honour."

All 20 top-flight clubs have chosen ambassadors as part of the Coast to Coast Kick Off, which aims to promote English football in the US.

According to the Premier League, the campaign includes fan events and watch parties in 15 US cities.

Jacob Allmendinger Two men are holding a flag in a large football stadium, they have rain coats on over their England football shirts. On the left, a young man with brown hair and a closely cropped beard wearing a red shirt. On the right, an older man wearing a blue baseball cap with England "Three Lions" logo and a white shirt. The flag is a red and white flag of St George, with the words "Hull City AFC written across the centre, the names "Jacob" and "Grandad Geoff" in the lower quadrants and a Hull City tiger badge in the upper right quadrant. Jacob Allmendinger
Jacob and Geoff with their Hull City flag during the World Cup

Jacob and Geoff's story travelled around the globe after Jacob spent his £10,000 house deposit so they could follow the England team at the World Cup.

After their story made headlines in the US, Jacob was gifted his money back by an American Crypto company.

Now, Hull City have flown the pair back across the Atlantic to promote their return to the Premier League.

Jacob said: "We're going to Cincinnati because of the Bengals, the NFL team. It's a very similar sort of tiger theme, so we're hoping it will be easy to persuade people to become Hull City fans."

Geoff added: "At my age, I do all the travelling I can, because there'll come a time when I can't get out of the house. So I'm literally just going for it."

The pair will be watching the game with American fans at a party staged in a bar named The Stretch, which is set to be kitted out in amber and black.

Jacob said: "There's still a big part of me that really does want to be at the Manchester United game and I will be getting a lot of fomo [fear of missing out] in America."

So, what are the pair hoping to achieve in Ohio?

"I think mine and grandad Geoff's job when we're out there is to get as many people to become fans as possible," Jacob adds.

Follow Hull City vs Manchester United on BBC Sport from 12:30.

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