The story of first black player Walter tull

Always good to advance knowledge of the early days of football, proving that there was football life almost 100 hundred years before the Premier League. I'm not decrying Walter Tull in any way and found this documentary fascinating, but I think there is new evidence.

I always believed that Arthur Wharton was the first black footballer - having played for 2 teams local to me, and his death was recorded in a local village - but recent news has uncovered a different person with the claim to being the first black player in Britain.

Andrew Watson (24 May 1856 – 8 March 1921) is widely considered to be the world's first black person to play association football at international level. He played three matches for Scotland between 1881 and 1882.

Arthur Wharton was commonly thought to be Britain's first black player, as he was the first black professional footballer and the first to play in the Football League, but Watson's career predated him by over a decade.

Can only imagine what he must have gone through.

comment by The Owl 🦉 & hELLo Kitty (U1750)
posted 6 hours, 35 minutes ago
Always good to advance knowledge of the early days of football, proving that there was football life almost 100 hundred years before the Premier League. I'm not decrying Walter Tull in any way and found this documentary fascinating, but I think there is new evidence.

I always believed that Arthur Wharton was the first black footballer - having played for 2 teams local to me, and his death was recorded in a local village - but recent news has uncovered a different person with the claim to being the first black player in Britain.

Andrew Watson (24 May 1856 – 8 March 1921) is widely considered to be the world's first black person to play association football at international level. He played three matches for Scotland between 1881 and 1882.

Arthur Wharton was commonly thought to be Britain's first black player, as he was the first black professional footballer and the first to play in the Football League, but Watson's career predated him by over a decade.

Sorry headline should have said spurs first black player

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comment by Automatic For The People (U21889)
posted 1 hour, 55 minutes ago
Can only imagine what he must have gone through.
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It must have been horrendous for him

Walter Tull

10 Tottenham Appearances 2 goals, not bad for a cm.

he wasnt the first black player but will still be a good watch

Found this on wiki:

‘ Tull and the 23rd Battalion returned to northern France on 8 March 1918. He was killed in action near the village of Favreuil in the Pas-de-Calais on 25 March during the First Battle of Bapaume, the early stages of the German Army's Spring Offensive. His body was never recovered, despite the efforts of, among others, Private Tom Billingham, a former goalkeeper for Leicester Fosse to return him to the British position while under fire.’

Very sad

just saw it-very good watch. poignant, they had to stand down the footballers battalion as only 30 members were left alive after battle

Have to (shamefully) admit that my son come home from school the other day asking if I had heard of him. I said no.

He took great pleasure in saying he played for Spurs and he therefore knew something about Spurs that I didn't.