Dom Merrix, of Langley Road, North End, suffered a fatal heart attack earlier this month after his health took an unexpected turn for the worst.
But the tragedy sparked an outpouring of sympathy from across Portsmouth, with a crowdfunding campaign raising almost £12,500 to help Dom’s family pay for his funeral.
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Now, his overwhelmed loved ones have invited people to say goodbye to the aspiring football coach when his funeral cortege makes its way to Portchester Crematorium on Monday.
It will set off from Langley Road at 2pm, heading over Copnor Bridge and past St Mary’s Hospital in Milton, before passing through Rodney Road.
Travelling in a custom blue Pompey casket, Dom will stop at Fratton Park, the home of his beloved club, where it’s hoped players and fans will provide a guard of honour from the roadside.
The procession will then make its way to Portchester Crematorium, where a small service will be held for a handful of close relatives.
In a statement on Dom’s crowdfunding page, his partner Sarah admitted she had been blown away by the response.
She wrote: ‘I’m absolutely gobsmacked at the amount of money that has been raised and I cannot put into words the impact that this is going to have on our lives.’
More than 500 people have donated to the appeal, including current Pompey players and the club’s American director, Eric Eisner, who donated £500.
Portsmouth Football Club’s chief executive Mark Catlin and the team’s kit manager Kevin McCormack even helped arrange custom football shirts for Sarah and Ellie-Mai, with Dom’s name and the number one emblazoned on them, following a plea by The News.
As previously reported, Dom’s death came just weeks after he was made redundant from energy firm SSE.
He had been self-isolating for more than two weeks prior after showing symptoms of Covid-19.
