On Saturday 23rd March 1985, British Ladies FC took part in a football match on Nightingale Lane, involving two teams from the North and South.
Emma Clarke took part in that match, and has come to be acknowledged as Britain’s first BAME female player on record.
In recognition of this, a blue heritage plaque was installed at Campsbourne School on Nightinglae Lane, the former site of Crouch End FC where Emma and her sister Florence played their football.
The plaque was installed on 2nd December 2019, Emma Clarke’s birthday.
At the event were the PFA’s Director of Equalities Simone Pound, former Arsenal and England captain Faye White and Jak Buela, founder of the Nubian Jak Community Trust.
A girls football tournament called the Emma Clarke Gold Cup was also being launched on the same day, and is intended as a legacy of the blue plaque. It is hoped the tournament will continue to inspire the interest in women’s football.
The blue plaque is sponsored by Black History Walks and was installed by Nubian Jak, who also developed the concept of the Gold Cup.
Images: Patrick Lewis
