I set up Taylor Swift and NFL star Travis Kelce, says Kansas City Chiefs coach

US pop star Taylor Swift and American football player Travis Kelce were “set up” by his head coach Andy Reid, who joked during a press conference about playing matchmaker.

The Love Story singer, 33, sparked rumours of a new romance after watching the NFL game on Sunday between the Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs, cheering from a suite inside Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City alongside Kelce’s mother, Donna.

Swift and American football tight end Kelce stepped out together after Kelce’s team secured the win, a moment captured on a video which went viral.

Kansas City Chiefs head coach said about the rumoured relationship during a press conference: “I met her before – I set them up.”

Meanwhile, Kelce’s NFL teammate Patrick Mahomes said about Swift: “She’s a pop star. She’s a tremendous singer, tremendous at everything she does. I haven’t got to meet her.

“I guess if she ends up being with Travis (Kelce) then I’ll probably meet her at some point. Seems like a good person so hopefully I get to meet her one day.”

Taylor Swift watches from a suite inside Arrowhead Stadium (Ed Zurga/AP)Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. - Ed Zurga

When asked if he knew Swift was going to be at the game, he added: “He told me at the last minute, but there’s some things with Travis where he kind of just says it, and you don’t know if it’s true or not.

“He says it so calmly. I mean, I remember one time he was like, ‘Hey I’m going to one of the World Series games’, I’m like, you said it so randomly.

“And then he just went and I was just like, but the same thing…Friday, he was like ‘Yeah, I think she’s coming to the game this weekend’ and just moved about his business, so you’re kind of like ‘That just happens I guess’.

“I don’t know, that’s just Travis.”

The viral video of Swift and Kelce was captured by US journalist and former American football player Jarrett Payton and posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, captioning it: “Talk about being at the right place at the right time! Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce leaving Arrowhead together after the game.”

Payton is the son of NFL stalwart Walter Payton, the Chicago Bears’ running back for more than 10 seasons, who died in 1999.

It comes months after speculation that Swift was dating The 1975 frontman Matt Healy, who made a surprise appearance at the Nashville performance of her Eras tour in May.

Earlier this year, singer-songwriter Swift split from British actor Joe Alwyn after six years together.

Alwyn, who gained recognition after starring in 2016 war drama Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, worked with Swift on her surprise eighth studio album Folklore, writing under the pseudonym William Bowery, and co-wrote a number of songs on the follow-up sister album, Evermore.

Swift recently dominated at the MTV Video Music Awards, taking home nine trophies including the evening’s top prize – video of the year – for her Midnights album track Anti-Hero.