A new display at Hill Dickinson Stadium celebrates Everton's first 11 black players throughout Black History Month. The club worked alongside Show Racism The Red Card on the pilot programme, which the organisation aims to roll out across all clubs to highlight the major contribution black players have made to the game.
Unveiling at Trinity Place Bar
Invited guests gathered in Trinity Place Bar at the 52,769-capacity waterfront venue this week, where the XI — researched with the help of the Everton FC Heritage Society — was unveiled on banners visible to visitors in the public space throughout October.
Everton legend Peter Reid joined club officials, representatives from Show Racism The Red Card, the Premier League and Unison General Secretary Andrea Egan to honour the trailblazers who made their mark at Goodison Park.
Honouring the pioneers
Ben Osu, head of equity and inclusion at Everton, said: "It's fantastic to be able to launch our Black History Month exhibition, celebrating the first black men's players to represent the club, in partnership with Show Racism the Red Card."
"Players of black heritage have made an enormous contribution to the history, success and culture of our club, both on and off the pitch, and it is fitting that we take this opportunity to recognise and celebrate those achievements during October."
"This exhibition shines a light on the pioneering individuals who helped pave the way for future generations, often overcoming significant barriers in the process. By sharing their stories, we not only honour their legacy but also inspire current and future players, supporters and colleagues to continue championing equality, inclusion and opportunity for all."
Players featured and next steps
The careers of Mike Trebilcock, Cliff Marshall, Daniel Amokachi, Earl Barrett, Terry Phelan, Danny Cadamateri, John O'Kane, Olivier Dacourt, Ibrahima Bakayoko, Kevin Campbell and Abel Xavier all feature in the exhibition, which will also be the backdrop for an educational visit by schools connected to Everton in the Community next month.
Show Racism The Red Card's Paul Kearns explained: "This is a really important project for us. It encapsulates the history of the club and tells really important stories and lived histories of the players who set the foundations and were pioneers for the players that came after them."
"We started these exhibitions as a pilot project and it's proven to work, so we aim to get this across the whole city to make sure as many people as possible can learn about these histories and now important these players' stories are."
Iffy Onoura, head of race equality and inclusion at the Premier League and a boyhood Everton supporter, added: "Fair play to the club and Show Racism The Red Card for putting this on because it's important to the whole of the city. Everton has always been the people's club, but something like this just shows the inclusion and everything that it stands for."
"It's important to keep fighting the fight because there is no room for racism. Unfortunately, we're in an era now where we're seeing some of those elements creep back into society and dissenting voices are coming from dark places. It's always a vocal minority and somehow we've got to find a way to embolden that decent majority, so events like this just speak to that."
Black History Month, which runs throughout October each year, brings communities, schools, organisations and institutions across the country together to honour the contributions of Black people to Britain's past, present and future. This year's theme, "Honouring Our Communities," invites recognition of the individuals whose everyday contributions shape, support and sustain Black life across the United Kingdom.
