The factors that play a part in deciding which football legends - such as Leeds United's own Don Revie - are honoured with a statue will be set out at a free public meeting being held at 3:30pm on Tuesday 24th April 2012 at Leeds City Museum.

The talk is being given by Dr Chris Stride from the University of Sheffield as part of the Royal Statistical Society's ‘getstats' campaign which aims to increase public awareness and understanding of how statistics play a part in determining or understanding many areas of personal and public life.

Who makes it on to a plinth? What are the ‘defining characteristics' of stadium statue subjects? Is it all about performance or do other factors come into play - career era, loyalty, locality, longevity, celebrity or sympathy? By comparing the trends and influences found in British football with the more established tradition in sculptures of US baseball players, Chris Stride will illustrate how statistics can help to explain which football players are honoured with a statue.

Commenting ahead of his talk, Dr Stride says:

"Since the early 1990s, the number of statues of English football heroes has risen dramatically. Over 50 football players, managers or chairmen have been, or are soon to be depicted by statues inside or adjacent to the grounds they once performed at. This includes the unveiling of a statue in honour of Leeds United's Don Revie at Elland Road on 5th May 2012.

"Yet it is still the case that, even amongst the very finest exponents of their sport, relatively few players are honoured in this way. Considering the motivations for statue building and showing how they predict subject selection tells us much about how modern sports organisations market themselves, fan culture and changing attitudes to both commemoration and the place of sport in wider society."

The event is free of charge with no registration needed.