Nottingham Forest fans are arranging a memorial for Adam Johnson, the Nottingham Panthers ice hockey player who died last weekend at the age of 29.
Fans are planning a 47th-minute applaud – Johnson’s jersey number – for Sunday’s game against Aston Villa at the City Ground. On Facebook, Reds fans are getting excited about the plans.
Johnson died after colliding with a bladed boot during a Challenge Cup match between the Panthers and the Sheffield Steelers in south Yorkshire. The incident is being investigated by police.
The Athletic reported on Monday that Forest chairman Tom Cartledge had “written a private letter of condolences to the Panthers to offer his sympathy and support.” They also stated that Forest had discussed Johnson tributes for the weekend’s game.
“As a Nottingham man born and bred, I know first-hand that, built into the very fabric of our city, is a unique set of values, which include respect, honesty and care for others,” Cartledge said in a statement. “Our rivalries in our city’s sports clubs are born out of mutual respect and healthy competition, and in times of tragedy, those bonds help unite us.”
“However, that also applies to our larger community.” With the awful events of June, we saw our student communities join with everyone else in the city, as people shared the grief of those families and friends who had been taken from us in such a horrific way.
“As a family club, Forest proudly embraces its role in supporting the communities it serves.” We take our obligation to bring people together in times of shared loss and consolation extremely seriously.”
Notts County observed a minute’s quiet for Johnson during their FA Youth Cup match against Lincoln City on Tuesday evening, and they will observe a minute’s applause when their main team hosts Crawley Town in the FA Cup on Saturday.
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