Billy the White Horse wins vote to name Wembley footbridge

Billy the White Horse has won the vote to name the London Development Agency’s new bridge at Wembley.
The LDA teamed up with BBC Radio Five Live to name the state-of-the-art footbridge, which will help to connect the new national stadium to the town centre, and The White Horse took just over a third of the 36,500 votes on the Five Live site. Sir Alf Ramsey was close behind on just under a third, while the three other finalists – Sir Bobby Charlton, Sir Geoff Hurst and Live Aid – each took about 4,000 votes.
The White Horse’s campaign was boosted by the Back Billy’s Bid campaign, which called for an end to ‘the 82-year-old snub to Wembley’s first hero’.

When 100,000 fans stormed the pitch at the first cup final in 1923, Billy – ridden by PC George Scorey – rode in to save the day, calming the crowds, clearing the pitch, averting potential disaster and allowing the game between Bolton and West Ham to begin.
It became an icon for the FA Cup, an icon of English football, and an icon of the greatness of Wembley Stadium.
With the extent of development happening in and around the new stadium, there will be further opportunities to pay tribute to the heroes of 1966 and England’s greatest footballing triumph and planning is already underway on how they can be commemorated. There is already a Bobby Moore bridge near Wembley Park tube – named in September 1993 – and further tributes to the England legend are planned.
The footbridge – designed by London Eye architects Marks Barfield – demonstrates that Wembley will not only be home to the world’s most spectacular stadium, but will be a truly world-class area.