Thanks to our special sponsors, the Arthur Wharton Foundation
By Ray Simpson
The first black footballer
The Arthur Wharton Foundation was very kindly a special sponsor of our game against Boston last Saturday.
Courtesy of Your Club, here's the story of Arthur Wharton
Our club is forever linked with black history in the game via Arthur 'Kwame' Wharton.
Arthur was the world's first black professional footballer. He made that debut for Darlington FC and created history.
Arthur was born in Jamestown, Ghana, in 1865 to parents Henry Wharton, a Grenadian-Scot, minister and missionary, and Annie Florence Egyriba, a Ghanaian, and member of Fante royalty.
In 1883, he moved to England to train as a missionary at Cleveland College, Darlington. It was there he began competing as a 'gentleman amateur' sportsman and soon became a full-time athlete.
Arthur became the first official fastest man when he ran a record time of 10 seconds dead in the 100 yards (now metres) in July 1886 at Stamford Bridge, London. This record stood for over 30 years.
Arthur then went on to become the world's first black professional footballer, initially playing for Darlington in goal, where he was described by those who saw him as "magnificent", "invincible" and "superb".
During the 1885-86 season, whilst still a Darlington player, Arthur was selected for the prestigious Newcastle and District team. At that time, it was the best in the city and far superior to the West End and East End sides which later combined to form Newcastle United.
Arthur was certainly an eccentric and quite the character! Rumour has it that he would often wait in a crouching position at the side of the goal before rushing out to save the ball!
He was eventually spotted by Preston North End, joined them as an amateur and was part of the team that reached the FA Cup semi-finals in 1886-87.
As part of "The Invincibles" side of the 1880s, he eventually left Preston in 1888 to concentrate on his running, and therefore was not part of the team that subsequently won the double in 1888-89.
He returned to football in 1889, joining Rotherham Town, signing as a professional. He then moved to Sheffield United in 1894 where he was understudy to regular first-team goalkeeper, the legendary William "Fatty" Foulke.
Away from football, Arthur also became a cycling champion, professional cricketer and a rugby player.
Arthur's achievements in the face of adversity, his contribution to the communities he lived in and the scale of his successes make him a unique figurehead, tackling issues in his lifetime that are still very relevant today.
Arthur died in 1930, penniless in the Springwell Sanatorium in Balby, and was buried in an unmarked grave in Edlington Cemetery. In May 1997, Arthur's grave was given a headstone after a campaign by anti-racism organisation Football Unites Racism Divides for recognition of his achievements.
The Arthur Wharton Foundation was created to acknowledge and celebrate the life and achievements of this true national and international sporting pioneer and trailblazer, through education and events aimed at promoting equality and diversity.
The foundation came into existence in 2010, following a campaign by founder and Darlington FC fan Shaun Campbell that began in October 2007.
Shaun had been invited that year to give a talk at Middlesbrough Town Hall on the subject of 'The History of Black People and Music' as part of Black History Month. At this event, Shaun picked up a brochure which contained a brief passage about Arthur Wharton within.
Inspired by this, Shaun felt the need to pay tribute to Arthur in some way and bring him to the attention of the people of Darlington, where he made his name. This led Shaun to start his research into Arthur and began the campaign of championing the legacy of Arthur Wharton.
Three years later, the Arthur Wharton Foundation was born.
Shaun told YOURCLUB Content: "28th October 2021 marked the 156th anniversary of Arthur Wharton's birth. And so, we celebrate him and his legacy."
"When Arthur first came to Darlington in 1883, at the very beginning of the club's existence, who would have thought that he would achieve so much as a pioneer and a trailblazer in football, athletics, cricket, rugby and cycling? A truly great all-round sportsman that Darlington & Darlington FC should, quite rightly, be very proud of.”
"Through our work over the years at the Foundation, Arthur is now widely celebrated locally, nationally and internationally.
"I am looking forward to Darlington FC and the Arthur Wharton Foundation working closely together with regard to future Black History Months' and in tackling some of the issues that blight the game in general."
To find out how to support the Arthur Wharton Foundation and help get involved, click here.
Earlier this month, The FA made Arthur number one in a list of top ten black icons in football, and we can’t think of a better tribute to Arthur’s footballing legacy than that.
Arthur Wharton – a global racial and sporting pioneer, who once stood between the sticks at Darlo...
