'A feel-good story': Montpellier, France, ships batch of misspelled jerseys to kids in Montpelier, Vermont

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A professional French soccer team is literally giving some kids in Vermont the shirts off their backs.

The team in Montpellier, France, ordered a new batch of season jerseys, but they arrived misspelled, with just one L instead of two. So they're shipping them off to Montpelier, Vt.

"It was really generous on their part. They could have just tossed the jerseys somewhere and instead they chose to send them to some strangers across the ocean," Bill Fraser, Montpelier's city manager, told As It Happens guest host Jim Brown.

"There's a lot of stress right now in the world with the hurricanes and international tensions and politics and everything else. I think this is just a feel-good story that people have reacted [to] very positively."

Fraser said his city has had some contact with Montpellier in the past, but nothing like this. 

In fact, Montpelier was named after the French city, but Fraser doesn't know why his town has one fewer L.

"Maybe they were bad spellers?" he said with a chuckle. "Frugal New Englanders. You know, why use two when one will work?"

Fraser has no idea how many jerseys his city will receive, but he suspects it could be in the hundreds because the French team ordered a full season's worth to outfit its players and sell to its fans.

Some have suggested the recalled single-L jerseys could become collectors' items for Montpellier fans.

"If I were a Montpellier soccer fan and I got one of these, I think I would keep it," Fraser said. "They're offering to let people turn them back in and get another one, but I think I'd hang onto it if I were them."

The city plans to give the jerseys to its high school and middle school soccer teams.

It'll be a "significant upgrade" for the kids, Fraser said, though they will have to request a "special exception" to play in jerseys that don't match the team's official colours.

"But I think that'll be fine," he said.

If there are any left over, the Vermont city plans to sell them to raise money for youth activities in the community, and perhaps send one jersey each to the other seven Montpeliers in the United States.

They may also send a couple of their own jerseys to France to say thank you, Fraser said.

"Wouldn't it be fun to get a pro-player wearing one of our high school jerseys?"