Arthur Wharton, (October 28
1865 – December 13
1930) was widely regarded as the first black professional football player in the world until the discovery of Andrew Watson. Wharton was born in Jamestown, Gold Coast (now
Accra,
Ghana), his father was half-Grenadian and half-Scottish, and his mother was a half-Scottish member of the Ghanaian royalty. He moved to England in
1882, to train as a Methodist missionary, but soon abandoned this in favour of becoming a full-time athlete.
Wharton started as an amateur playing as a goalkeeper for Darlington, and then Preston North End (with whom he reached the FA Cup semi-finals in
1887). He became the first black professional footballer when he joined Rotherham Town in
1889 playing as a goalkeeper. He would later play several games for Sheffield United, though he was overshadowed (perhaps in more than one way) by William "Fatty" Foulke. As well as playing in goal, he would also occasionally feature outfield as a winger.
Wharton was an all-round sportsman - in
1886, he set a world record of 10 seconds for a 100 yard sprint in the AAA championship. He was also a keen cyclist and cricketer, playing for local teams in
Yorkshire and
Lancashire. After retiring from sport, he descended into destitution and alcoholism, spending the last 15 years of his life working at as a labourer in a Yorkshire colliery. He died penniless in
1930 and was buried in an unmarked grave in Edlington, South Yorkshire; his grave was given a headstone in
1997 after a campaign by anti-racism campaigners Football Unites-Racism Divides for recognition of Wharton's achievements.
Wharton never won a major medal (having moved from Preston before they completed their League and FA Cup "double" of
1889), nor an England cap. Another black player, Andrew Watson, pre-dates Wharton by 11 years, however football at that time was only played in an amateur capacity.
In 2003 Wharton was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his undoubted talents and the impact he made on the game.
Club career
*Darlington (1885 - 1886) (
Semi-professional)
*Preston North End (1886 - 1888) (
Semi-professional)
*Rotherham Town (1889 - 1894)
*Sheffield United (1894 - 1895)
*Stalybridge Celtic (1895 - 1897)
*Ashton North End (1897 - 1899)
*Stalybridge Celtic (1899 - 1901)
*Stockport County (1901 - 1902)
Further reading
*Phil Vasili,
The First Black Footballer, Arthur Wharton, 1865-1930: an absence of memory (ISBN 0714649031)
Phil Vasili 'Colouring Over the White Line. The History of Black Footballers in Britain'
(ISBN )
External links
*
Football Unites, Racism Divides *
BBC h2g2 entry *
English Football Hall of Fame Profile Wharton, Arthur
Wharton, Arthur
Wharton, Arthur
Wharton, Arthur
Wharton, Arthur
Wharton, Arthur
Wharton, Arthur
Wharton, Arthur
Wharton, Arthur
Wharton, Arthur
