Big screen beckons for first black footballer

The story of Preston North End legend Arthur Wharton could soon be appearing on the big screen. The first ever professional black footballer, Wharton played in goal for North End during the club's time as "The Invincibles."

Irvine Welsh, the controversial author of Trainspotting, and Phil Vasili are "in the production process" of making the film, provisionally titled Gold Coast Showman.

Wharton was famed for his speed and agility and was the first black athlete to win an Amateur Athletics Association title in 1886 and to run 100 yards in 10 seconds.

Vasili is an expert on Wharton's life after writing The First Black Footballer, a biography that the screenplay will be based on.

He said: "The screenplay started out after writing the book, it's a great story as it's just so unusual. Arthur was a bit of a jack-the-lad, he was married but he had children with his wife's sister.

"It would make a great film if we can get the funding, but at the moment we haven't had any backers."

Mark Bushell, from the National Football Museum, Preston, said: "Wharton was a first and that's why the story is so interesting.

"Clearly there were a lot of issues relating to when Warton was playing, especially about whether he was racially abused."

Wharton was born in Ghana in 1865 and moved to England in 1882 to train as a methodist missionary. He played for Preston North End from 1886 to 1889 before joining Rotherham United.

He was voted one of the 100 greatest Britons in 2004 but his life didn't end well, he battled a drink problem and died in 1930 after spending the last 15 years of his life working in a Yorkshire colliery. 10 May 2006