On Saturday, former Stoke City half-back Frank Soo became the latest player to be inducted into the National Football Museum Hall of Fame.
The first player of East Asian descent to play in the Football League and then the first to represent an England side, Frank amassed over 200 appearances for the Potters. During this period, Frank also made nine appearances for England in unofficial wartime fixtures.
Prior to the induction, representatives from the museum and the Frank Soo Foundation walked from Frank Soo Street in Stoke-on-Trent to the bet365 Stadium ahead of the Potters’ game against Derby County, carrying a flag designed by pupils from the Stoke Minster Church of England Primary Academy.
Frank was inducted live on Sky Sports during the half-time interval, with the trophy being accepted by Frank’s great-niece Jacqui Soo.
The Frank Soo Foundation was founded in 2017 to advance the public’s knowledge of the story and legacy of Frank Soo, and to carry on his life passion of supporting the next generation of young footballers.
The Frank Soo Foundation has three long term goals it wishes to achieve: promote Frank’s story, support the local East and South-East Asian community, and guide East and South-East Asians in their aspirations in football.
Alan Lau of the Frank Soo Foundation said: “It is wonderful to see Frank Soo honoured with induction into the National Football Museum Hall of Fame. It means a lot to us, our communities and also the Soo family. This highlights the positive effect that people from ESEA and Pan-Asian communities have had on football and we hope this will inspire the next generations of boys and girls to aspire to be the next Frank Soo.”
Tim Desmond, CEO of The National Football Museum said: “At the National Football Museum, we are delighted to induct Frank Soo into our Hall of Fame celebrating not only his achievements on the pitch but also his role as a pioneer for being England’s first-ever player of Asian descent.
“The National Football Museum is proud to be representative of football in all its diversity and Frank must have overcome a lot of social barriers to achieve at the highest level in the game. His story is incredibly inspiring and we hope this induction contributes to his legacy.”
Soo was born in Derbyshire, and later raised in Liverpool to a Chinese father and an English mother. His football career began at the age of 18 at Prescot Cables FC. He was renowned for his perfectly placed passing and freekicks.
He had a successful club football career, most notably at Stoke City, playing for many years alongside Stanley Matthews. Including wartime appearances, Frank would amass over 200 appearances for the Potters, including a prolonged spell as club captain. After the war, he played for Leicester City, Luton Town and Chelmsford City.
On 9th May 1942 against Wales at Ninian Park, Frank was the first non-white person to play for the England national football team and still is the only player of an Asian background to reach that level for the England men’s team. He would ultimately play nine games for England during this period, as well as additional fixtures as part of The FA’s XI.
Due to the ongoing war in Europe, all of Frank’s games for England were never counted as caps, as these games were all unofficial matches and the Frank Soo Foundation are campaigning for an honorary England cap to be awarded.