Sport stars database by Sheffield University goes live

The database features football's famous faces, including Ukrainian coach Valery Lobanovsky

A database of statues commemorating sportsmen and women from around the world has gone live.

The University of Sheffield's digital archive features information about more than 350 statues of players, managers and fans from 56 different countries.

The Sporting Statues database also details the sculptor, when the artwork was unveiled and a location map.

The most frequently portrayed person, with six statues, is Brazilian footballer, Pelé.

Sir Stanley Matthews is just one star player showcased in the archive

Dr Chris Stride led the three-year project which went live earlier.

He said: "The earliest footballer statue identified, an anonymous player, can be found in Copenhagen, Denmark, and was sculpted in 1903.

"However, almost 95% of football statues have been created since 1990, and over half in the last decade, showing it to be a largely modern phenomenon.

"Statues are also being erected by towns, cities and commercial organisations, who are seeking reflected glory and identity from their local sporting heritage."

In addition to showcasing the known faces of sport, the database also indentifies 125 statues of anonymous players.