Mandy Forster, the founder of AA Flags, with the finished Kevin Keegan display inside St James' Park during preparations for Sunday's Premier League opener. (Image: AA FLAGS)
Mandy Forster, the founder of AA Flags, with the finished Kevin Keegan display inside St James' Park during preparations for Sunday's Premier League opener. (Image: AA FLAGS)
A County Durham flag company helped turn hundreds of supporters’ shirts into a poignant St James’ Park tribute to Newcastle United legend Kevin Keegan.
AA Flags, based in Consett, stitched together more than 500 football shirts left outside the stadium following Keegan’s death last month.
The art piece creating the centre-circle mosaic, which was unveiled before Newcastle’s Premier League opener against Liverpool on Sunday, August 23.
The display, produced with fan group Wor Flags, featured the word 'Legend' formed from shirts carrying handwritten tributes from supporters.
Players from both sides also wore warm-up shirts bearing 'Keegan 7', as the clubs paid tribute to the former England captain, who played for both Newcastle and Liverpool and later managed the Magpies.
Ashley Forster, 28, who has worked at the Consett firm for a decade, said the project became increasingly emotional as the team read the messages left by fans.
She said: “The club was wanting to do something with all the shirts that were left outside, so they asked Wor Flags and they then sent us a mock-up.”
“We painted the big background in house – it was 18 metres.”
“I couldn’t believe how many shirts there were.”
The company, based in Consett, has been working with Wor Flags for five years. (Image: AA FLAGS)
The display spelled out the word 'LEGEND' - a fitting tribute for Keegan. (Image: AA FLAGS)
The shirts arrived at AA Flags’ Consett workshop in a van, with kits representing teams ranging from Annfield Plain to Liverpool.
Many had been covered in personal messages to Keegan, and the company cut and arranged them into the lettering for the giant display.
There’s only one Kevin Keegan
One Kevin Keegan
Walking along singing a song
walking in a Keegan wonderland 🖤🤍 pic.twitter.com/vC5iTJmQqa
— Alan Shearer (@alanshearer) August 23, 2026
Children’s shirts were positioned near the top and bottom of the mosaic.
Shirts left by fans in tribute were used for the display. (Image: AA FLAGS)
Ashley said: “It was quite emotional, we got to read almost all of the tributes.
“It was an absolute honour to be honest.
"Kevin Keegan was out of my time, but we can see just how loved he was.
“The more we were reading, the more special it was becoming.
"Reading the messages, we knew how much he meant to everyone.”
AA Flags was founded in 1992 by Ashley’s mother, Mandy, after she was made redundant when a flagpole producer she worked for went bust.
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The company has worked with Wor Flags - the group behind St James' Park displays for around five years, producing banners, flags and other material.
Ashley watched Sunday’s match from home and said she had been excited to finally see the completed mosaic unveiled at St James’ Park.
“It is definitely one of the best displays we have ever done because it was so personal," she said.