Norwich City supporters group which has helped the club through troubled times to fold

A supporters’ group that has ploughed well over �350,000 into the Canaries’ academy has brought down the curtain on 16 years of fund-raising.

The Friends of Norwich City Youth, formed in 1996, has handed over the last of their donations to the club after holding a winding-up meeting.

Chairman John Landamore, the driving force behind the group known as “Foncy”, confirmed: “We paid the last cheque over in August, about �10,000, and we have ceased working as a fund-raising organisation.

“We are a bit sad about it but nothing stays the same forever. It has been an absolute delight to be able to serve the club the way we have.

“We’re planning to carry on doing the website and the match reports, and as individuals we’ll still be up at Colney. We’re still the only club in the country to do a match day programme for academy games.”

Foncy’s contribution to City’s academy reached a final total of �363,696.57. The 57 pence is a reminder that the organisation was formed in darker days, when the club was in desperate need of every penny.

Players to come through the ranks thanks in part to the group’s work include Craig Bellamy, Robert Green, Adrian Forbes, Darel Russell to name but a few.

For more on how the group was formed, who was behind it, its legacy and why it is folding see tomorrow’s Norwich Evening News.

To pay tribute to the group’s work leave a comment below. The best will be used in Saturday’s paper.