Trust News

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.”

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One of the fans that will be at next Saturday’s Fred Keenor statue unveiling will be George Thomas Dupe who has penned a special poem about Cardiff City’s FA Cup winning skipper.

George, who is 87, has supported the Bluebirds for a fantastic 74 years.

Born in Llanedeyrn, George family’s wooden house was burnt down when he was just five and the family moved to Albany Road, Castleton and, finally, Rumney.

George was taken to his first match by his Uncle Billy in 1938. He had gone to the 1927 FA Cup Final and seen Keenor lift the cup and told George the story of that fantastic day.

A season-ticket holder in the Canton Stand for 16 years in the 1950s and 1960s, he used to organise coaches for away matches on a regular basis. George once told a friend that he couldn’t be his best man because “City are playing that day”.

He gave up his season ticket after getting married in 1963, moving to Newport because of work, and having three children. He worked as a delivery driver for a wholesale chemist for around 25 years.

George took his daughter, Ceri, and son Kevin to their first games in 1970 when Kevin was just five, standing on the Bob Bank. Ceri and Kevin are now season ticket holders themselves, along with Kevin’s son Max, who is 15.

Click on the Keenor poem link alongside to read George’s tribute Keenor poem

This is the cover of the 32-page commemorative brochure which is being sold before the Hull City game on November 10th in aid of the Keenor appeal.

Work has now been completed  by our designer Lyndon Rhodes and Dave Sugarman, who has overseen the brochure as well as writing manyof the articles. It is now with the printers who have been asked to number each copy. There will be just 1,000 copies for sale, priced at £3 each.

We’ve already received scores of pre-orders, including many postal applications, and you can still guarantee a copy if you can’t attend the Hull game or live away from South Wales. We are aiming for a sell-out on the day.

If you would like to pre-order a copy please email fundraising@ccfctrust.org when details of where to send payment will be provided. Payment is required by cheque to arrive before the Hull game and the pre-ordered brochures will be sent out after the unveiling. We are not able to guarantee you a specific numbered copy.

Thanks so much to Lyndon and Dave for a great job, particularly the time they have put in to making this a very special souvenir of the unveiling, which takes place at 1.30pm. Everyone is welcome to the event.

Two pupils from Fred Keenor’s old Cardiff school, Stacey Primary, will be given the honour of unveiling the Keenor statue before the Hull City game on Saturday, November 10^th.

Teachers at the school have chosen Carla Shore and Yassin Mohamed, both aged, 10, to perform the ceremony.

Pupils from Stacey and Ton-yr-Ywen school, who have been involved in a project on Cardiff statues, will attend the unveiling and also attend the match, courtesy of Cardiff City Football Club.

David Craig, project manager of the statue appeal and a Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust board member, said:  “We thought it entirely appropriate that children from Fred’s old school should have the honour of carrying out the unveiling so we approached the head teacher Jo Colsey. I’m delighted that children from Stacey and Ton-yr-Ywen will be at the ceremony.”

Fred was captain of the Stacey school football team before going onto captain Wales and Cardiff City, when they won the FA Cup in 1927.

David Craig, lifelong Bluebirds fan Lord Kinnock and a representative from the football club will speak at the unveiling which starts at 1.30pm.

Special limited edition commemorative brochures, which run to 32 pages, have been produced and will be sold at the ground before the match against Hull. They will be available at the club shop, the Trust and the Supporters Club offices and around the statue area from volunteer sellers. If you’re unable to attend the match you can obtain details of how to obtain copies by emailing fundraising@ccfctrust.org