England Women's Football:
A Pioneering Past
The History
of Ethnicity
in England
Women's Football.
Explore the role of black and ethnic minority players in the England Women's National Team. Discover controversy and unveil the pioneers that pushed for racial equality.
EMMA CLARKE
Emma Clarke played in a historic match organised by the BLFC in 1895. For a long time, Clarke was pinpointed as the first black female player for any England squad. Today, historians cannot say for sure whether Clarke was black.
Born in Plumstead, London, in 1871 to Caroline Bog and John Arthur Clarke, Emma was from a very large family. People believe that she was mixed heritage because her mother was born in Ceylon to a career soldier and his wife. In the papers at the time, she was described most often as being a dark girl, however her sister Florence is described as fair, and blonde. This leads us to her family history and whether there was a family secret. It is very difficult to determine the truth of the matter, but it is now clear that there is a very small chance that her family history is correct.
Emma Clarke alongside her BLFC teammates in 1895 (top row, second in from left).
To put matters into perspective, in 1895 when Clarke played in front of 11,000 fans, the trailblazing appearance of a black player was not reported. This leads us to question her heritage as at the time, it would have been unusual to see a black woman playing football and therefore the newspapers would have mostly likely remarked on it.
Many have written that Emma Clarke was mixed heritage, however research that has been conducted suggests that she may not have been mixed heritage at all.
Kerry Davis
From left, Hope Powell, Sammy Britton, Kerry Davis, and Brenda Sempare.
Kerry Davis was most likely the first female Black-British player to put on an England shirt. Her father has Caribbean heritage, and her mother is white British. She debuted for England on the 19th of September 1982 against Northern Ireland, scoring two goals. Davis quickly became a central member of the squad, playing a large part in England’s success in the inaugural UEFA Women’s Euros between 1982 and 1984. Davis scored 12 goals in 10 games for the side.
Davis’s career with England demonstrates her ability as one of the squad’s star players. It is surprising that she has not received an honour alongside the first three England captains Shiela Parker, Carol Thomas, and Gill Coultard. Appearing 82 times for England, Davis is an important pioneer for Black and Minority Ethnic England Internationals. Playing in a generation where her name is not mentioned, however being England’s top goal scorer until 2010 highlights the work that still needs to be done regarding race and football.
Emma Clarke’s ethnicity is unknown, what we do know is that Kerry Davis represented England as a black player from 1982, although it was not recognised at the time.
LEGACY
Today the legacy of pioneers such as Clarke and Davis are continued through a whole host of players from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Hope Powell became head coach of the England women’s team in 1998, Mary Phillips became the first black female to captain England in 2002, Alex Scott has 140 England caps to her name and is now a successful sports presenter and pundit for both the men’s and women’s game, just to name a few.
Going into the 2022 Euro competition, only three players (Jess Carter, Demi Stokes, and Nikita Parris) out of the final 23 named squad are from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
From left, Anita Asante, Mary Phillips, and Eniola Aluko.