Steve Bloomer to be watching from the sidelines

The Steve Bloomer bust begins to take shape at Pride Park

Work on the bronze bust started yesterday (Thursday 10^th October 2008) and is expected t be completed by the 20^th January, Steve Bloomers birthday. The bust will start a year long celebration of the 125^th year of the club in 2009.

The bust is also believed to be a first in British Football, being the only bust that is pitch facing in the country and will truely make the song come true when "Steve Bloomer will be watching!"

Andrew Edwards will be working on the first stage of the bust inside the foyer of Pride Park stadium from Monday13^th October for approximately five weeks. Anyone wanting to view is welcome at the ground where Mr Edwards will be pleased to meet you and answer any of your questions about the bust. A collection bucket is also available, should you wish to make a personal donation to the project.

The Steve Bloomer bust will be cast in bronze and mounted on a plinth next to the home team dugout. So Steve Bloomer really "will be watching"

As you can see from the photograph the first stages of the bust look nothing like Steve Bloomer at the moment but the skill of Andrew Edwards has fashioned several high profile bronze busts of sporting figures. Most notable is the triple bronze statue at Stoke City's Britannia stadium of Sir Stanley Matthews and the superb depiction of Gordon Banks recently unveiled by Pele and Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu.

Andrew is the arguably best sporting sculptor in the country and the project was very lucky to have been able to get him to undertake the commission of the Steve Bloomer Bust. Don't forget to get down to the Stadium next week if you get the chance, Andrew is very friendly and a very interesting person to talk to, you can if you wish add your small piece of clay to the model and rightly say you involved in the making of the Steve Bloomer bust!..