Fundraising match in memory of two dedicated fans

Family and friends of two life-long Torquay United fans are hoping the full force of Plainmoor and the Bay will get behind a special fund-raising event in their memory.

Both David Leslie Stacey and his nephew David Andrew Stacey fell victim to Alzheimers recently.

David Leslie, a legend in his own right in amateur boxing circles for decades, and David Andrew, a much-loved former soldier and MoD police officer, were passionate about the Gulls.

Now a fund-raising website has been  set up and family and friends are coming together to sponsor United's Plainmoor clash on Saturday December 21 where there will also be bucket collections with all proceeds going to the Alzheimer's Society.

David Leslie, who had a high-calibre amateur boxing career before going on to coach dozens and dozens of young boxers from the next generations and many from deprived backgrounds at Torbay Amateur Boxing Club, lived with the disease in the last few years before he died in October at the age of 85. David Andrew lost his battle with young-onset Alzheimer’s in August at the age of just 62. 

Above: The two Dave Staceys with their names on plaques at Plainmoor

The two Daves have plaques bearing their names on the side of the grandstand at Plainmoor. Dave the elder worked as a handyman and groundsman  at the club for several years and even put the professional footballers through their paces at some hard training sessions. And Dave the younger hardly ever missed a match.

His son, Dean, said: "Some of the family and friends are coming together to sponsor the Gulls’ home match with Hemel Hempstead in their memory. The aim is to raise as much money as possible for the Alzheimer’s Society. As an added incentive, there is a signed Torquay home shirt up for grabs to the person who makes the highest single donation (by midnight on the day of the Hemel Hempstead game on Saturday December 21) to the Alzheimer’s Society via this fundraising page:

Link - https://www.justgiving.com/page/forstace2024

Dean added: "My dad was well-known amongst fans at Plainmoor and my uncle Dave was well-known in general so quite a big response, but not too much in terms of donations yet."

Above: Dave Stacey and son Dean at Wembley in 1998

He added: "My dad had quite a deprived childhood really, with his mum, an absolute saint of a woman taken too early herself at the age of 54, being left to bring him and his five sisters up. 

"He also didn’t achieve much at school - he attended what was then known as Audley Park - so he was proud of the career path he had carved out for himself. 

"My dad joined the Army and served for 10 years, working his way up to the position of corporal, before later joining the Ministry of Defence Police.

"At the age of 55, after 20 years of service in the MoD, he was retired on the grounds of ill health after initially being diagnosed with having a mild cognitive impairment in 2016. 

"This later progressed to young-onset Alzheimer’s, and it was tough for us as a family to see the deterioration that took place, over several years, before he passed away in August at the age of 62.

"Everyone who knew my dad would have been aware of how sociable he was. He would talk to pretty much anyone, which is probably why he was so well-known amongst fans at Torquay United, where he was a regular at games from a young age.

"He was always up for a laugh and something of a practical joker, so it was particularly hard to witness the communication challenges the disease presented him with. 

"For around the last 10 months of his life, he was unable to communicate more than a couple of words together at a time."

Above: The two Dave Staceys at younger Dave's wedding in 1984

Dave the younger leaves a wife Debb, with whom he had been with since his early teenage years and marked their 40th wedding anniversary six months before his passing, four children (Shelley, Dean, Danny and Shane) and four grandchildren. 

Dean says: "With his deterioration from Alzheimer’s, it feels like we lost him twice, if that makes sense. Mentally at first and then eventually physically in terms of him not being here anymore. It’s been tough. 

"Personally, I miss someone who sparked my own passion for football - I shared many highlights as a fan of both Torquay and Liverpool with him - was always there when I needed him and whose accident-prone ways gave us a lot to laugh about. For example, he’s probably the only person I know to have managed to trap his ear in his car door."

One of Dave the younger's grandchildren, Tyler, 10, and Dean are part of the group sponsoring the game against Hemel Hempstead, along with Dave the elder's son, Lee, grandson Lucas and several of Dave the younger's friends.

Dean said: "My dad was one of many many youngsters my Great Uncle Dave coached at Torbay Amateur Boxing Club years ago. The passing of the two of them has left a huge void in the Stacey family. Both were strong-minded, fearless men who would also bring humour to any occasion. They are sorely missed." 

Dave the older was known for decades as the Bay's Mr Boxing. Having been one of the most prolific boxers in the country for two decades, Dave went on to be a highly-successful coach, training the likes of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

David started boxing at the Torquay Apollo Club and then joined the Torbay Boxing Club. From there, he would go on to become one of the most formidable boxers in the Westcountry, with a career that continued for 22 years, 428 contests and scores of titles. He was well-known throughout the community and was a dedicated husband to Debbie and a loving father to his daughter Nicole and son Lee.

Nicole said: “For him, family was everything. He was a true family man. Despite the tough exterior and the physical and mental resilience you'd expect from a sportsman, he’s incredibly soft at heart. He genuinely couldn’t have done more for us while we were growing up.

Dave the elder also leaves behind grandchildren Payton and Lucas, as well as countless friends, colleagues and teammates.