Arthur Wharton - Footballer

Arthur Wharton was the first Black professional football player ever – that’s not only in the UK but in the whole entire world. And, his firsts didn’t end there. He was also the first Black professional to play in the Football League. Wharton was born in 1865 in Ghana, his father was Grenadian-Scottish and his mother Ghanaian. At age 19 Wharton travelled to the UK to study at a Methodist Missionary, however he changed paths and chose to pursue sports instead.

Wharton wasn’t only a footballer he was also an all-round talented sportsman. He  played cricket, rugby and was a talented athlete. In 1886 Wharton broke the 100 yard dash record, clocking 10 seconds.

The last football team Wharton played for was Stockport County where he retired from the game in 1902. Once his career ended Wharton worked as a labourer - he faced financial hardship.

Arthur Wharton passed away in 1930.

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He began his career playing amateur football with Darlington, he then went on to join Preston North End where he helped the team reach the 1886 – 87 FA cup semi-finals.  Unfortunately, he faced racism but managed to push through.