I’ll hazard a guess that the answer to the question in the title is ‘no’. If that’s the case, and if you would like to find out, then Show Racism the Red Card (SRtRC) may be able to help!
SRtRC are marking thirty years of action with a powerful new initiative: The First 11 Black Players Project. They are partnering with UK football clubs, the PFA, the FA and the EFL to unearth a hidden history – honouring the first eleven Black players to represent each club. Their stories will be brought to life in a physical exhibition and embedded into SRtRC’s anti-racism workshops, turning legacy into a lesson for the future.
Here are links to some of the teams they have looked at:
Brentford
https://www.brentfordfc.com/en/news/article/club-news-celebrating-first-11-black-players-brentford
Derby County
Lionesses
https://www.theredcard.org/news/the-launch-of-the-first-11-black-lionesses-exhibition/
Middlesbrough
https://www.theredcard.org/news/first-11-black-players-exhibition-middlesbrough-fc/
Sunderland
https://www.theredcard.org/news/introducing-the-first-11-black-players-exhibition-sunderland-afc/
It took Bill Hern and I four years to research Football’s Black Pioneers and we were only looking for the first Black player at each club, identifying the first eleven is a major undertaking, hats off to SRTRC!
Of course, a project like this is bound to throw up a few difficult questions. At Brentford, for instance, the name of Fred Corbett is not included. When we wrote our book, we thought long and hard about Fred. In the end, we included him as the first Black player at West Ham, Gillingham, Bristol City and, yes, Brentford. But, we acknowledged that there is no firm evidence that Fred was Black and that opinion is divided on whether he was. SRTRC’s decision not to include him is understandable (even if we don’t agree!).
Looking at the list of names for Crystal Palace I was shown, took me on a long and enjoyable trip down memory lane. I had fond memories of many players on the list and was reminded of names I had forgotten. But my reverie was interrupted by a question- was Rachid Harkouk (a name many older Palace fans will remember) Black? He was of mixed heritage and he played for the Algerian national team. His name isn’t on the list, maybe that’s right, maybe it isn’t, either way, he was definitely a memorable character regardless of his colour!
Want to know more?
For more information on the First 11 Black Players Project, please email info(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)theredcard.org