A grant of £117,000 has
been awarded to a Sheffield organisation to tell the story of football's
first professional black player.
Football Unites, Racism Divides (FURD) wants to raise the
profile of Arthur Wharton, who played for Sheffield United and Rotherham
Town in the 1890s.
He was also a highly skilled professional athlete and cricketer.
FURD is hoping to run drama workshops, a Victorian sportsWharton was born in 1865 in Jamestown, Gold Coast, which is
now Ghana. His father was half Grenadian and half Scottish. His mother
was a Ghanaian royal.
In 1886, Wharton won the AAA's blue riband 100 yards event at Stamford Bridge.
He played for Rotherham Town, Sheffield United, Preston North
End and Stockport County during his career between 1886 and 1902. He
died in a workhouse sanatorium in 1930.
In 1997, FURD raised money to place a headstone on his unmarked grave in Edlington, near Doncaster.
Comments
Agree that education is always good.
However I do find it strange and quite patronising why people's skin colour in football in this day and age is even an issue?
I find it almost divisive. Difficult to explain what i mean really without misinterpreting the point i mean. The professional game only started about 5 years before Wharton signed so I fail to see the relevance and find it a bit odd he is being honoured purely because of the colour of his skin.
That's in a way sort of the point i mean. Im not black or a kid but i can imagine that black kids have enough role models in football black and white nowdays to inspire them.
Whilst it is good to educate surely that money could have been better spent on football courses, training facilities targeting the demographic it is targetting (or all areas of the community better still). Think kids would be more into that than a museum exhibition paying tribute to an uber- privileged chap who theyd probably have little interest in.
May be well wide of the mark and apologies if so.
Steve Stacey as far as I know.
He played (and scored in I believe) one match in 1969ish.
In addition, Tull became the first black officer in the British Army, despite standing orders prohibiting this.
His fascinating but all too short a life was the subject of a recent BBC TV drama.
Legendary Football Players: Walter Tull
LLegendary Football Players: Walter Tullegendary Football Players: Walter Tull
Phil Walker was signed from Millwall around the same time.
Somebody will know for sure.
;o)
No - I believe Phil Walker predates Leroy.
And by 'predates', I mean he played for us before - not that he eats him.
In some places, it sounds like it's getting worse. I read an article a few days ago about a black player(I can't remember who) playing in Eastern Europe(Ukraine or Russia), & he said that when he first started playing there, he had no problems, but during the last couple of seasons, racist groups have started going to matches as a way of spreading their doctrines & getting their hatred across in 'legal' crowd situations.
Until these arseholes can be erradicated from our game, it will always be an issue, sadly.
I bet the 'chocolate drop' fell about laughing because it was all said 'with good humour.' How many would now see the Black and White Minstrels as simply 'good humoured' entertainment? Thankfully we have developed.
Thankfully, people have become more civilised over the years, especially in the English game, but sadly there are still morons who have grown up with irrational hatred for people of different ethnicities, people who have grown up with this ignorance in their families & communities, who will continue to demonstrate such idiocy.
Maybe because they don't know better, or are young, but no excuse as they get older.
Sadly, with risng global tensions over terrorism, religion, politics, etc, things may get worse overall, & people may become wary & suspicious of others of other ethnicities. From the rising in Nationalistic political parties over the past few years, I would see that as a sad indication of some 'people' allowing that rationality they may have had, grow a little bit wonky in light of some of the senseless shit we have seen from all warring factions.
The article I mentioned in an earlier post on this thread, about a player in Eastern Europe, & also the recent banana incident involving Roberto Carlos, & the seemingly worsening treatment players get in places like Italy, from various fascist sets of 'fans', would indicate a rise in this vile practise.
I think the Wharton story is very significant, & he definitely deserves recognition, especially as back then, very few people would have ever seen a black person before, let alone a black player. I think he would've faced a large amount of abuse, shock & downright rude, & possibly rudely curious people & tricky situations. To come through that & still do well is something to admire. Bit of triumph over adversity n'all that.
Will it get through to people, educate & inspire? I hope so!
i happen to share rodneys views