Chelsea fans around the world can now communicate and show their colours thanks to a ground-breaking link-up with Rawr, the rapidly growing smartphone messenger app.

As well as chatting to each other in traditional text format, Rawr allows users to create a personalised 3D avatar and then dress them in official Chelsea kit, watching characters interact on the screen as the conversation unfolds.

Available within the Rawr store are the 2016/17 Chelsea home and goalkeeper shirts and shorts, training wear, football boots, hats and scarves.

Fans can also receive a free Chelsea beanie hat by hashtagging #CFC to the in-app chat bot ‘Tim Rawr’, which is designed to help users learn how the app works.

This is the first time ever that 3D wearable items are available to purchase within a messaging app, and the first relationship between Raw and a sports team.

Rawr is developed by Finnish firm Futurefly and is backed by early investors in Snapchat, WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook, as well as Arielle Zuckerberg, sister of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

Chelsea FC Chairman Bruce Buck said: ‘This is an important step for the club as we look to engage and entertain our many millions of fans. This ground-breaking relationship with Rawr puts us at the front of the pack when it comes to digital innovation among sports clubs, and we cannot wait to see how Chelsea supporters interact with each other, and their other friends, all over the world.’

Oskari ‘Ozz’ Häkkinen, the Anglo-Finnish founder and chief product officer of Futurefly (and Chelsea supporter) added: ‘We’re delighted that Chelsea Football Club has recognised the potential of opening a digital store within Rawr. As businesses across the world seek to engage with new customers in increasingly innovative ways, we believe that this partnership will be a landmark moment for the messaging industry as a whole.’