Black History Month
RUCT are shining a light on Black History during October, from educational workshops, community engagement, and a ‘Show Racism The Red Card’ tournament taking place. Here in Rotherham, we are very fortunate to live in a diverse town – and here at the New York Stadium, we are proud to welcome people of different races, religions and ethnicities to every match.
During Black History Month, Rotherham United Community Trust like to celebrate Arthur Wharton. Never heard of Arthur Wharton? The England’s first black professional footballer that went down in history, who started here at Rotherham United F.C., or back then, Rotherham Town F.C.. Born in Ghana in 1866, Arthur Wharton moved to the UK in 1883 aged 18 to train as a missionary at Cleveland College in Darlington, Co. Durham.
In 1889 he signed a professional contract at Rotherham Town. In this period, Rotherham Town won the Midland League in consecutive years and were invited to be the first team to play Liverpool in their first season at Anfield. Last year a plaque, commissioned by Rotherham District Civic Society, was been installed on the entrance to Rotherham Titans’ Rugby Club’s Clifton Lane ground which is where Rotherham Town played.
Find out more about Arthur Wharton’s legacy through the Arthur Wharton Foundation.
RUCT’s Return to Ghana!
With Arthur Wharton’s legacy being a huge part of Rotherham United history, last year Rotherham United Community Trust fundraised to go to Arthur Wharton’s home town in Ghana to honour him and volunteer within the local area.
RUCT are proud to announce that on the 23rd of October, 4 members of staff and 12 Rotherham United Sports College students will be travelling to Ghana again! They will spend over 2 weeks volunteering in local schools, children homes and with football teams. This amazing experience will allow staff and students to get involved in local Ghanian culture, take part in once in a lifetime experiences, as well as make a difference in a community that has links to our very own hometown.
Stay tuned for live updates throughout the trip across all of our social media platforms!
