Plaque unveiled for Britain's first black professional footballer in Preston

Tim Scott reports from the unveiling of the plaque at Deepdale Stadium

A plaque has been unveiled to honour the country's first ever black professional footballer outside of his club.

It was unveiled at Deepdale Stadium, over 150 years after Arthur Wharton began playing for Preston North End in 1886.

The plaque joins a statue and a mural that were made to honour Arthur's contribution to the sport. His great-great-grandson, Liam Rooney, says the plaque is another welcome tribute.

Liam said: "It’s fantastic to see the effort people are putting in to keep Arthur’s name relevant and still in people’s minds."

After leaving Ghana to train as a missionary, Arthur came to the UK in 1882. As well as playing in goal for Preston North End, he was also ranked as the world's fasted man - running 100 metres in just 10 seconds.

Originally an amateur player for Darlington, Arthur was spotted by Preston North End when the two clubs played each other. After joining the club, he helped them reach the FA Cup semi-finals in 1887.

Earlier on in that same tournament, he was described by Athletic News as "one of the best exhibitions of goalkeeping I have seen for a long time."

In 2020, a mural was unveiled in Darlington on Arthur Wharton's 155th birthday.

Shaun Campbell, from the Arthur Wharton Foundation, said: "At long last I don’t have to call for these things, people are doing it themselves. For this to come from the club is just a wonderful thing."

Michael Barratt, of the Preston North End Community and Education Trust, added: "The first black professional footballer, up there being acknowledged is a real powerful message from this club.

"It means so much to this community, we’re very proud of authoring his story."

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