Street Sign Unveiled in Memory of Deceased Former York City FC Player

The family of David Longhurst, a former York City FC player who passed away during a match, returned to the location of the club’s previous stadium to unveil a new street sign honoring him. Longhurst had recently joined the club in 1990 when he collapsed on the pitch during a home game against Lincoln City at the age of 25. Efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful, and it was subsequently discovered that he had an undetected rare heart condition. His sister, Jayne Longhurst, stated that seeing him commemorated with the street sign at the Bootham Crescent Stadium site so many years later was “quite amazing.” She commented: “Years and years later, he is still being remembered and probably will be remembered when I’m not going to be here. It is quite amazing and it is very touching the fact that he was loved by so many people.” David’s other sister, Ann Stapleton, added that their parents would have been “so proud” to witness his memory still being kept alive. She further remarked: “Being invited here today is more for us to say thank you to York City, to the football club and to the fans for keeping David’s memory alive.” After viewing the sign, the family was then invited to the new LNER stadium, where York City currently plays, to see a new banner dedicated to his memory. John Salisbury, David’s best friend, said: “I think York City have been amazing for remembering him after all these years, and with the street being named after him as well is a lovely touch. He only played about eight or nine games for York and for them to remember him after all this time. His family and friends think it is amazing and are very grateful.” Sean Eames, representing Persimmon, described the sign as a “really fitting way to preserve the memory” of David. He explained: “At Persimmon we became custodians of the ground two years ago, and we always wanted to make sure that the history and the heritage of the football ground is preserved. We asked fans to suggest names to name streets at the new housing development and as you can see, one of them that has been chosen was David Longhurst Way, which I think is a really fitting way to preserve the memory of him.”