The first black footballer was Arthur Wharton, who was born in Jamestown, Ghana in 1865 to a Ghanaian mother, Annie Florence Egyriba, and a Scottish father, Henry Wharton.

In 1883, he moved to England to train as a missionary at Cleveland College, Darlington to further his father working getting to England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Arthur developed amazing interest in sporting careers, started as an amateur football in Darlington football club later graduate as professional to Botgerhan Town, sheff utd, Starlybridge fc and Ashton me etc

In 1930, Arthur died penniless in the Springwell Sanatorium in Balby and was buried in an unmarked grave in Edlington Cemetery.