A new play about the life of openly gay footballer Justin Fashanu is to be performed in London next week, and the play's writer/director Troy Fairclough has spoken to Kick It Out.
The play, produced by Lotus Productions, begins when Justin arrives back in the UK, pursued by allegations of sexually assaulting a teenage boy in America, and leads up to his tragic death.
Born in 1961, Justin Fashanu was brought up by foster parents and by the children’s charity Barnardos. At 14, he signed schoolboy forms with Norwich City FC, where he progressed through the ranks and played for the first team when he was in his late teens.
His volley against Liverpool was the goal of the season in 1980 and still claims its place in football’s all time great moments.
The following year, he was signed by Brian Clough and joined Nottingham Forest for one million pounds. He would go on to find fame and notoriety as the first openly gay footballer. Sadly, he would end his own life at the age of 37.
Fairclough explained how the project came to fruition: "I've been working on this play for a number of years on and off, and it's gone through many drafts.
"At first I was very interested in the conspiracy theories around Justin's death, then I wrote a play about a young black gay footballer coming out today. But then I thought just bite the bullet and write Justin's story.
"I wrote the play because I don't want his story or what he did to be forgotten. And because in 2010 we still have a situation where no other footballer has come out.
'Justin Fashanu In Extra Time' takes place at Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London, E1 6LA from Thursday 8th to Saturday 10th July at 8pm, with a special matinee performance at 2pm on Saturday followed by a Q&A session.
You can book tickets by calling 020 7613 7498 or visiting www.richmix.org.uk
For more details on the production contact Troy Fairclough (Writer/Director) on 07814 002450 or Rebecca Martin (Producer) on 07979 286472
