The campaign to build a statue of former Norwich City player Justin Fashanu has taken another step forward with an application for lottery funding.
Andrew Reynolds, who leads the campaign, has applied for a National Lottery Heritage Grant to provide further funding ahead of what would have been Fashanu's 62nd birthday.
The group are also planning to launch a new campaign in the coming weeks featuring celebrities in order to magnify its message.
It comes after the group said it had struggled to attract corporate funding, despite a £5,000 donation from the Alan Boswell Group.
Mr Reynolds said: "Right now the corporate sponsorship has been very tough to secure.
"I think there’s a negative residue that companies are afraid of - the legacy of racism and homophobia that remains."
It comes after Czech international midfielder Jakub Jantko came out as gay last Monday, following Fashanu's lead to become the first senior player to do so since he did more than 30 years ago.
Memorial plans, which have so far seen £8,930 raised, would see the statue built alongside an accompanying memorial garden in the city's Riverside area.
Donations can be made by visiting the group's GoFundMe page.
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