Creating Opportunities
The Sir Stanley Matthews Foundation was established in October 2000 with two main aims. The first was to create a statue in memory of Sir Stan who had died in February of that year. The second was to create opportunities for youngsters to develop their sporting disciplines.
The Statue
The statue was completed and unveiled in October 2001. It comprises three figurines which cover the sporting lifespan of Sir Stan. As you face the statue the figurine on the right shows him as a youngster at the start of his career, the central figure depicts his time as an England International in his late 20s and the one on the left shows him at the end of his career. The shirts, shorts and stockings are exact replicas of each depicted era. Likewise the boots, studs and balls. The plinth is shaped as a letter 'S' which relates to the word Stanley.
The initial cost of the statue was £210,000 and it has been described as the finest sporting statue in the British Isles. Kevin Keegan, the Manchester City and England Manager at that time, unveiled one of the figurines in conjunction with the Foundation's Patron. Jean Gough, Sir Stan's daughter. Two former Stoke players Terry Conroy and Eric Skeels together with three local school children unveiled the other two figurines.