Rochdale fans raise £10k for statue tribute to superfan

The statue sits on David Clough's seat where he had a season ticket

Football fans have raised over £10,000 to erect a statue of a "superfan" who left his estate to Rochdale FC.

David Clough, 78, who died in 2020, raised an estimated £500,000 for the club selling Goldbond lottery tickets.

Fan Mark Cryer set up a JustGiving page to raise funds to commission a statue of "Cloughie" as a lasting tribute.

The statue - which sits on Mr Clough's seat in the main stand where he had a season ticket for many years - was unveiled to fans on Saturday.

It was inspired by Spanish side Valencia, who did something similar for one of their supporters.

David Clough raised an estimated £500,000 for the club

Mr Clough, who lived in Littleborough and worked at the former Whittles Bakery, left his entire estate, worth around £250,000, to the League Two club.

The money was used for a new electronic scoreboard, air conditioning and a new ceiling in the club's VIP lounge.

Fundraiser Mark Cryer said it was "truly humbling" to read about Mr Clough's legacy.

"I didn't know Cloughie personally but I think all Rochdale fans knew of him and what he did for the football club with the various Goldbond rounds that he did in all weathers," Mr Cryer said.

"To leave his entire estate to the club for the future generations is absolutely unbelievable, so I thought to myself, what could we as fans do to say thank you to a fan like Cloughie?"

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