IT'S a whole new ball game for Basingstoke Bison ice hockey star Mike Ellis as he lines up for a new business that is focused on football.

TeamMates is the idea that Mike and his business partners have come up with - and already the products are proving hot stuff.

This weekend he will be in Basingstoke town centre with a stand for the innovative product that is really set to go big time in the run-up to the World Cup next summer.

TeamMates is about making dreams come true for every soccer fan. The simple concept is to buy a poster, framed or not, and to get your name added to a team shirt alongside those of your heroes.

You can either pay for the firm to laser your name on to a shirt or buy a peel'n'stick pack and do-it-yourself.

Mike, a forward for the Bison, is director of marketing for TeamMates and his Canadian general manager, Gord Blyth, is moving to Basingstoke in the new year to make the borough the headquarters for the firm.

The idea for TeamMates came from a successful venture involving the Canadian National Hockey League and now the new company believes it has a product that adapts for any sport.

TeamMates went into serious production in the autumn after winning licences to reproduce the shirts and gear of Chelsea, Arsenal and Leeds United. Now Liverpool, Celtic and Rangers have been added to the growing list.

But the really big moment came only recently when TeamMates signed up a licence with the England team.

Mike, 28, said: "We got the licence after months of talks. If all goes well we are hoping to have all the Premiership and League clubs signed. We are also talking to PGA Golf and looking to motor sport."

Another idea is to turn the clock back and produce black and white sepia pictures for those with nostalgic memories of teams that have made history.

TeamMates partners have plunged their own savings into turning a dream into a reality and, by the time the World Cup comes around, hope to have Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Brazil and Argentina also signed up.

A mass e-mail is going out to all Basingstoke companies as the framed prints have special appeal to the corporate world. The company name and logo can be part of the frame.

Mike said: "We've worked night and day for eight months to make it happen. Early in the New Year we plan to have offices based in Basingstoke to gear up for the World Cup."