Walking around the Score Gallery at the National Football Museum in Manchester, seeing exhibits celebrating everyone from Nikita Parris to Bobby De Cordova-Reid and Pelé, it quickly becomes clear this is a collection like no other. Among the items on display are an impressive number of match-worn shirts and a handmade banner celebrating Marcus Rashford pressuring Boris Johnson into a U-turn on free school meals for vulnerable children.
The Black in the Game exhibition aims to showcase not only sporting success but the cultural impact of key football figures from African and Caribbean communities, including administrators, officials and other non-playing staff. It celebrates some modern-day stars such as the Manchester City striker Khadija Shaw, the WSL’s current top scorer, and was curated across three years by a panel of footballers and academics.
