Jack Leslie statue to be unveiled at Plymouth's Home Park next football season

A statue of pioneering black footballer Jack Leslie will be unveiled in Plymouth during the next football season.

He joined Plymouth Argyle Football Club in 1921, scoring 137 goals in 400 appearances over 14 years.

He was selected to play for England in 1925, before being denied the opportunity due to his race.

A life-size statue will be revealed outside Home Park stadium after a fundraising campaign.

The date for the unveiling will be announced after the fixture lists come out on 23 June, campaign organisers said.

The League One football season starts on 30 July and organisers hope to unveil the statue around a home game in late September or October.

Sculptor Andy Edwards was chosen to create the statue, and said he was "eternally grateful" for the opportunity.

Mr Leslie's three granddaughters, Lyn, Gill and Lesley, were recently able to see the work at Mr Edwards' studio, and said it "truly captured the essence" of their grandfather. .

"You can see that sparkle in his eyes, that wonderful smile that he had," they said.

"It's so much more than looking at a picture. His emotions come through in the sculpture. It's incredible.

"It may have taken a hundred years, but he will now be known for the great goal scorer that he was."

Mr Edwards said: "All three girls carry their granddad's likeness here and there, and I added refinements and detail directly from their faces.

"The next time we meet will be in Plymouth when Jack makes his triumphant return to Home Park."

The clay sculpture will be moulded and then cast in bronze.

It will then be installed on top of a stone plinth in the outside area between the Lyndhurst Stand and the Devonport End.

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