The Book
We are really proud of ‘Football’s Black Pioneers’, a book that tells the story of the first black player to represent each of the Football League clubs. If you already have a copy, we hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it! If you haven’t, why on earth not?! But fear not, just click on the image of the book cover and you will be taken straight to the Amazon page where you can buy it. And, if you don’t like using Amazon, any good back shop will be able to order you a copy.
The website
But, hey, now that we’ve sold you a copy, we want you to explore what this website has to offer. There are quizzes, a timeline, maps showing you where our pioneering footballers came from, links to videos and lots of programmes of historic significance. And, if you are a teacher, we have resource packs for you to use. There is so much to enjoy and it’s just a click away!
About Us
We are David Gleave and Bill Hern, authors of Football’s Black Pioneers, we have been supporting our respective teams (Crystal Palace and Sunderland) for a combined total of more than 100 years, we have the grey hairs to prove it!
During our time watching the game many things have changed. One of the most visible changes has been the rise of black footballers. We were both supporters during the 1970s and 1980s when racism on the terraces was widespread and often vicious. Starting in the 1990s attitudes towards black players gradually improved and openly racist comments diminished. Our fear is that racism is returning to the terraces.
We believe the time is right to remind ourselves of the contribution that black players have made to our game and to acknowledge the pioneers so that they are not forgotten. Many of the great black players of today have recognised that they owe a debt of gratitude to the pioneers who experienced the most vile abuse simply because they were black.
It’s the colour of the shirt that matters, not the colour of the skin.