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Attending the event were Archbishop Desmond Tu Tu , Nobby Stiles, Sir Geoff Hurst and arguably the greatest player of all time Pele!
The day was not only about honouring Gordon Banks about combating racism and the enjoyment of football by all generations.
An U12 World Cup final was played on the finely manicured Britannia stadium pitch, the youngsters represented by local schools, who had fought through several rounds to play in the final, which had the sides playing in the famous yellow and blue of Brazil and the all white strip of England.
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The Youngsters were thrilled to be presented with their winners and runners up medals by Gordon and Pele, Giving those 12 year olds a day they will never forget.
Caribbean and African singing, along with a wonderfully noisy and colourful Samba band, plus a more contempary band made the day go with a real swing. A colourful display of world flags was amazing to watch and the contrast with a vivid green squared pitch was a joy to behold.
The statue unveiling went well with Arch bishop Tu Tu blessing all in the crowd and asking for Stoke City to remain in the Premiership next season………..a big ask but he is one of the Worlds most respected religious leaders, so who knows!
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The statue creator, Andrew Edwards, had invited Derby County mad along, as he will be creating a Large bust to Rams legend Steve Bloomer in the next few months. This will be for a celebration of our own next year when Derby County will celebrate 125 years of the club, started in 1884. It is hoped that a year long celebration will take place with various events taking place during the 12 months.
Look out for further announcements in the match day programme, local media and announcements at Rams home games during the first half of the 2008-09 season...