The Football Association (FA) has awarded an honorary England cap to the family of Frank Soo, the Buxton-born footballer who was the first person of Chinese heritage to play for England.

Born at 11 Lightwood Road, Buxton on 8 March 1914, Frank was the first, and remarkably still the only Chinese-heritage footballer to play for England. He made his debut against Wales in 1942 and went on to play for England a further eight times and captained the RAF team during World War II.

The Friends of Buxton Station have previously featured Frank in their ‘Unhailed Trail’ leaflet, which takes visitors on a guided tour of the town, calling at the homes and workplaces of relatively unknown yet influential people associated with Buxton.

Others highlighted in the ‘Unhailed Trail’ leaflet include actor Elizabeth Spriggs, politician Walton Newbold, Hollywood film director Robert Stevenson and pioneering meteorologist Edith Pilkington.

The FA’s announcement was made by Dal Darroch, head of diversity and inclusion strategic programmes, during the Frank Soo Champions Cup at St George’s Park on Sunday 14 September, stating: “Frank Soo’s immense contribution to English football deserves lasting recognition.  A player of great skill on the pitch, and of determination and resilience off it, his pioneering legacy continues to inspire young players now and will continue to do so for generations to come.”

Dave Carlisle, chair of the Friends of Buxton Station, said: “Working with local author Julian Cohen, we researched Frank’s life and thought that he was never properly rewarded for his wartime England appearances.

“We petitioned the FA on several occasions about this and joined with the Frank Soo Foundation in their campaign to get Frank his due recognition. We are proud to have been involved. We are still campaigning to get a Historic England blue plaque put up at Frank’s Buxton birthplace.”

Alan Lau, founder of the Frank Soo Foundation, said: “It is really important to honour the contribution of all players who have blazed a trail in the national game. We and the Soo family are so proud of this achievement and cannot wait to see the impact this recognition will have on East and South East Asian communities and for English football. 

“We are aware of the great campaigning work done by Dave, Julian and the Friends of Buxton Station. Dal confirmed that their frequent emails had caused quite a stir, and it definitely helped having multiple community voices pushing the FA!”

Discover more about Frank’s life and posthumous honour in this BBC article.

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