Football’s Black Pioneers by Bill Hern & David Gleave
We are David Gleave and Bill Hern, authors of Football’s Black Pioneers, we have been supporting our respective teams (Crystal Palace and Sunderland) for a combined total of more than 100 years, we have the grey hairs to prove it!
During our time, watching the game, many things have changed. One of the most visible changes has been the rise of Black footballers.
We were both supporters during the 1970s and 1980s, when racism on the terraces was widespread and often vicious. Starting in the 1990s, attitudes towards Black players gradually improved and openly racist comments diminished. Our fear is that the vicious form of racism is returning to the terraces as well as in society as a whole.
We believe the time is right to remind ourselves of the contribution that Black players have made to our game and to acknowledge the pioneers so that they are not forgotten. Many of the great Black players of today have recognised that they owe a debt of gratitude to the pioneers who experienced the most vile abuse- simply because they were black.
It’s the colour of the shirt that matters, not the colour of the skin.
We are keen to make the stories of these pioneers known to as many people as possible so their bravery, sacrifice and ultimately, success, is not forgotten. This involves educating people of all ages.
We have long felt that we could and should support Show Racism the Red Card (SRtRC) in the work it does in education and fighting racism. We spent four years researching for Football’s Black Pioneers and have a wealth of inspiring stories to share.
Working alongside SRtRC gives us an important platform for doing so!