CHIEFS behind the bid for a statue of Coventry City FC Cup heroes George Curtis and John Sillett have thanked fans after over £6,000 was raised in just 24 hours.
Coventry City announced their intention to build the statue of the duo, who famously guided the Sky Blues to safety in 1986 before FA Cup glory the following year, on Thursday.
Since then, around 350 people have donated to the cause.
The club has raised over £135,000 towards the project through donors, but £87,000 is still needed- a total decided to align with the 87 cup win.
The statue will face Jimmy Hill Way near the South Entrance of the Coventry Building Society Arena.
Curtis first joined the Sky Blues as a player in the 1950s, with the centre-half making 543 appearances and becoming club captain before playing an influential role behind the scenes.
John Sillett joined City as a player in 1962, making 128 appearances in four years, before having spells on the coaching staff in the 70s and 80s.
Curtis passed away in July 2021 at the age of 82 and Sillett passed away in November 2021 aged 85.
Joe Elliott, who is chair of the committee behind the statue, told the Observer: “It’s amazing how much money has been raised in such a short space of time and we thank everyone who has donated.
“We had a press conference on Thursday morning to launch the idea and before it was finished almost £1,800 had already been donated.
“It has very much been in my mind for a while the club needed to do something to celebrate George and John, and this has been a real team effort.”
