Author Archive: admin

Those that were unable to pick up the speeches at the Keenor statue unveiling or were unable to attend the ceremony may be interested in the words of David Craig, the project manager for the appeal and a Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust board member:

Welcome to everyone

A particular welcome to all the members of the Keenor family and to the teachers parents and children of Stacey and Ton-yr-Ywen Primary schools.

It gives the members of the  Fred Keenor Statue Group great pleasure to see everyone gathered here today to witness the unveiling of this Statue of Fred Keenor.  It has been a long journey – a five-year journey in fact.

I will only give you a few details of that journey but full details are available in the wonderful commemorative brochure that has been produced for this occasion.

It was five years ago – almost to the day – that Mike Inker of the FKS Group decided that something had to be done to properly commemorate the achievements of Fred Keenor and the team of 1927.  It was decided that a statue would best serve that purpose.

Over the next twpyears Mike and others organised an online petition of 5000 signatures then support was sought and developed and a sculptor – Roger Andrews – was chosen to create the Statue.

The Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust took up the challenge of raising the

£85 000 needed and it was on April 23 2010 on this very spot that we formally launched the Appeal to raise the funds required to enable us to commission and then erect the Statue.

I can’t let this moment pass without recording my thanks for the wonderful support and generosity that have sustained us since April 2010.

Thanks to the Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust who made the first major donation to the Appeal.

The City and County of Cardiff

Cardiff City Football Club for staging Stadium events in support of the Appeal and allowing us to sell goods from the Superstore and to hold bucket collections on match days and a special mention here for Wayne Nash Stadium Manager who has been supportive, enthusiastic and accommodating throughout and has been my link with the Club.  Thank you, Wayne.

The Welsh Government

The Football Association of Wales

To Craig Bellamy as Patron of the Appeal and for his generous donation

*Craig can’t be here today but he is represented by his dad Doug and his son Ellis —-welcome to you both……..

To the many local businesses who have supported us and for their generous donations

To Cardiff City Supporters’ Club

To the South Wales Echo which gave us the publicity which was crucial to our success

And last but not least – to the wonderful fans of Cardiff City FC for helping to sustain us in our efforts not just by their generosity in donating a large percentage of that total but also by their good nature and unwavering encouragement for what we were trying to do.

Thanks of course to Roger Andrews for his creativity,  skill and total application to the cause. By his own admission this was never just a task for him……….the more he got to know Fred the more it became an honour.  It has been a pleasure to work with you Roger and to watch this Statue develop with you.

Special thanks to Dave Sugarman who with the help of Phil Nifield,  Richard Shepherd and Lyndon Rhodes has taken the lead in producing a splendid limited edition commemorative booklet.  If you have not yet bought one they are on sale for £3 at the Trust Office/the Club Shop/ the Supporters’ Club Office and at other points around the Stadium and will be on sale in the weeks ahead.

Inside the commemorative brochure you will find a leaflet explaining the work of the Trust and a membership form.  Please take time to read this and consider signing up.  The more members the Trust has the stronger its voice.

Finally thanks to my colleagues in the Fred Keenor Statue Group  – Phil Nifield Graham Keenor Mike Inker Tim Hartley Tracey Marsh and Dave Sugarman and those on the Board of the Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust for their unwavering support.

If I have left anyone out apologies but I have tried to say thank you by telephone/letter/e.mail and face to face to everyone who has helped……………..

This is truly a people’s statue and it is for the people to enjoy.

Our friends from Chasetown FC have invited us back to Staffordshire for their match against Stamford on Saturday, December 1st.

The Supporters’ Trust and the Supporters’ Club have built a great friendship with the club following City’s FA Cup 3rd round tie with them in 2008.

A group of Cardiff fans visited the Scholars ground in 2011 and the Chasetown fans also came down to the Cardiff City Stadium last year. Now they want us to return to Chasetown and have had a special flag made to celebrate our friendship which will be presented to us before the match in December.

If you are interested in coming to Chasetown then email help@ccfctrust.org.uk and if we have enough interest we will organise a bus.

We’re delighted to announce that the last of the batch of 200 Fred Keenor miniature statues was sold this evening.

Thanks to everyone that purchased a miniature in support of the statue appeal.

Standing proud at the Cardiff City Stadium is the 15ft high tribute to Fred Keenor, captain of the Bluebirds’ 1927 FA Cup winning team.

Hundreds of fans gathered around the statue to see Carla Shore and Yassin Mohamed, pupils from Fred’s old school, Stacey in Roath, pull a cord to release a Welsh flag and unveil the statue.

Earlier David Craig, board member of Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust and the project manager, thanked all supporters of the statue vappeal, particularly Bluebirds fans. He was followed by Lord Kinnock and Steve Borley, a director of the football club, who both expressed their delight at the unveiling.

Among the guests at the event was former First Minister Rhodri Morgan, Julie Morgan AM, a great supporter of the appeal, Mark Drakeford AM and Kevin Brennan MP, whose Cardiff West constituencies cover the ground, Cardiff Central AM Jenny Rathbone, Cardiff Council Cabinet Member Huw Thomas, Football Association of Wales President Trefor Lloyd-Hughes and chief executive Jonathan Ford, the Welsh Government and, of course, Cardiff City Football Club. Several individuals who have supported the appeal were also present.

Reaction to the statue designed by Roger Andrews was very positive and the unveiling marked the culmination of more than two years of fundraising.

Thanks to everyone that made this dream a reality.

Some of our guests at the unveiling

You can also read a BBC report on the unveiling at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-20276271

All pictures by Trust board member Brian Mertens

Tomorrow will be a landmark day with the unveiling of the Fred Keenor statue at the Cardiff City Stadium – more than two years after the appeal to raise £85,000 was launched

Carla Shore and Yassin Mohamed, pupils from Fred’s old school, Stacey in Roath, have been given the honour of unveiling the tribute to the captain of the Bluebirds’ 1927 FA Cup winning team and the Wales national side before tomorrow’s Hull City game.

The fundraising appeal was officially launched on April 23^rd, 2010 – the 83rd anniversary of the 1927 win, the only time the famous trophy has been taken out of England – after Roger Andrews of Llantwit Major was chosen by fans as the statue artist.

Supporters and the club quickly got behind the appeal – football matches were organised, bucket collections were held, marathons were run and £1 was added to ticket prices for fans travelling by coach to Cardiff City’s Carling Cup Final clash with Liverpool. Entertainer Frank Hennessy also offered his services free of charge in a fundraising event at the stadium.

Cardiff council quickly pledged £15,000 for the tribute to honour a Welsh sporting icon, the Welsh Government later chipped in £5,000 and then the appeal total of £85,000 was reached when Cardiff City Football Club and the Football Association of Wales agreed between them to meet the remaining £14,000 needed.

David Craig, project manager of the appeal and a member of Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust board, said: “This is a very proud moment for everyone connected with the appeal. We’re so grateful for those that have helped turn the dream of a tribute to Fred into a reality.

“Fred was a true working class hero who achieved so much at a time when footballers did not earn the riches of those top modern day players. He had a wonderful career for club and country despite being badly injured in the horrific Battle of the Somme.

“Donations from large organisations were very important to the success of the appeal but the generosity of ordinary fans who got behind the appeal was crucial. We received large individual donations of up to £500 and young children even chipped in their pocket money. We’d also like to the staff of Cardiff City for their fantastic support, This really was a community-led effort which reached its target despite the very difficult economic times.

“I’d also like to pay tribute to the small band of members of the fundraising committee who gave up many, many hours of their own time to organise events. It was a great team effort.”

This statement was received from Cardiff council on the eve of the unveiling. 

Councillor Huw Thomas, Cabinet member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, said: “Cardiff City’s 1927 FA Cup win is deeply ingrained in the rich sporting folklore of the city and people remain rightly proud of that achievement to this day.  It is very fitting the captain of that great side will be honoured with a statue at the new stadium where the club go from strength to strength.  He wasn’t just a legendary Cardiff captain, Fred Keenor was also a war hero who was wounded at the Somme in World War I so I am doubly proud that the council has contributed to this handsome statue. This permanent monument will inspire generations of football fans and is the least he deserves.”

“