Film helps restore Black sporting hero Arthur Wharton’s place in history

He’s talking about Arthur ‘Kwame’ Wharton, an inspirational figure widely recognised as the UK’s first black professional footballer. With the help of funding made possible by National Lottery players, Mike has made a short film about Arthur’s extraordinary life called A Light That Never Fades.

Born in Jamestown, Ghana in 1865, Arthur moved to the UK in 1883 to train as a missionary. But his gifts as a sportsman saw him playing for Darlington FC as the team’s goalkeeper.

Arthur was part of the Preston North End team that reached the FA Cup semi-finals in 1886-1887 and he became the first black man in the First Division when he played for Sheffield United during the 1894-1895 season.

Football wasn’t the only sport he mastered. He was also a professional cricketer, a cycling champion and rugby player. In July 1886, Arthur became the first official fastest man when he ran the 100-yard sprint in 10 seconds, a record that stood for 30 years.

In Mike’s film, actor Derek Griffiths MBE portrays Arthur near the end of his life when he is visited by former teammates. This fictionalised scenario gives the footballer an opportunity to reflect on the struggles he faced as a person of colour in Victorian England.

Mike acknowledges the limits of his perspective as a white filmmaker, but says advice from collaborators with lived experience was invaluable in helping the film to be as empathetic and authentic as possible.

Mike says, “We used historically accurate racial language, such as newspaper headlines from the time about Arthur. It’s uncomfortable, but we can’t tell his story accurately without them.”

Early drafts of the script had Arthur accepting the apologies of former teammates for the racism he’d faced. But feedback from writer Ishy Din convinced Mike this pivotal moment needed to be altered.

He says, “It became clear that the tone was far too sweet. Arthur’s rejection of those apologies is now a powerful point in the film. It’s a moment of quiet reckoning with the pain of the past that will affect everyone who watches.”

Mike adds, “Arthur was a light for black sportsmen well ahead of his time. But his story ended sadly and in obscurity.”

Arthur’s fame began to fade when he left professional football in 1902. He worked as a miner in Yorkshire, but died penniless in 1930. His final resting place was an unmarked grave in Edlington Cemetery in South Yorkshire.

Mike expects A Light That Never Fades to launch in early 2025 and hopes to screen it at film festivals and on streaming platforms. The Arthur Wharton Foundation will show the film in schools, colleges and community hubs as a way of encouraging conversations about race and black heritage.

31st October 2024