FVF: Kicking Through Barriers
In recent years, (ESEA) Asian players have taken the game by storm. Premier League legends like Son Heung-min have been joined by Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma, Arsenal’s Takehiro Tomiyasu and Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, while international stars Fuka Nagano and Hinata Miyazawa are starring for Liverpool and Manchester United Women in the WSL.
In 1933, Frank Soo became the first player of Chinese origin to play in the EFL; the Stoke City inside-left would go on to become the first player of Chinese origin to represent England when he featured in unofficial wartime matches. Over eighty years on, he remains the only player of East Asian descent to have done so, and is set to be inducted into the museum’s Hall of Fame.
Kicking Through Barriers remembers the struggles and celebrates the triumphs of ESEA Asians in football. Frank Soo Foundation co-founder Alan Lau will be joining former athlete, author and LGBTQ sports advocacy campaigner Amazin LeThi for a discussion on representation within the game, chaired by the National Football Museum’s Janine Ross.