West Ham United stars past and present have backed Barking and Dagenham Council’s campaign to have a statue built of the late, great Bobby Moore OBE.
Captain Mark Noble, two-time FA Cup winner Frank Lampard Senior and former player and manager Harry Redknapp have all endorsed the idea of building The People’s Statue to the man who led the Hammers and England to unprecedented success in the 1960s.
Noble, who like Moore also born in east London and went on to captain his local club, threw his backing behind the initiative, saying: “Bobby Moore was an England, West Ham and London legend.
“A statue in the heart of his home town will be a permanent monument to his everlasting greatness.”
The Council-led appeal aims to raise more than £160,000 for the statue, which will be placed in the heart of Barking.
The statue would form part of the Borough’s wider celebrations of 50th anniversary of England’s 1966 FIFA World Cup, which have also included the installation of an English Heritage Blue Plaque at his family home in Waverley Gardens.
The Council also invited Moore’s fellow West Ham and England legend Sir Geoff Hurst to a West Ham United Foundation-run mini-World Cup tournament for local schools, which was held at Dagenham & Redbridge FC in July.
Leader of the Council, Councillor Darren Rodwell said: “We are extremely proud, as a borough that Bobby Moore was born and grew up in Barking and it is important that we honour this great man.
“We need to remember all of the iconic people that come from the borough including our footballing heroes. Let’s remember what success looks like and help to fund a statue of a real great - Bobby Moore, in his home town, Barking.”
A One Borough Community Day was also held in July to celebrate the 50th anniversary of England’s 4-2 win over West Germany at Wembley, with Hammers heroes Tony Cottee and Tony Gale and champion fundraiser Jonjo Heuerman attending a special screening of the final and running a football tournament in aid of the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK.
To donate towards the building of The People’s Statue to Bobby Moore, please click here.