'Everyone should know about Frank Soo' - FA boss

Frank Soo's relatives and supporters gathered at half time to formally accept the recognition

“Everyone should know about Frank Soo.”

That is the view of Football Association diversity and inclusion manager Anwar Uddin, speaking on the day the only man with Chinese heritage to have been capped for England was officially inducted into the National Football Museum’s Hall of Fame.

Born in Derbyshire, to a British mother and a Chinese father, he became a Stoke City legend – playing for the club between 1933 and 1945.

Soo played alongside Stanley Matthews and Joe Mercer but his achievement as a trailblazer is now finally receiving national recognition.

On Saturday, relatives and supporters marched from a street named after him, on the site of Stoke’s old ground, to the club’s new stadium in honour of him.

“It’s about celebrating those that have come before us,” said Mr Uddin.

“There’s a lack of representation today, but actually these players have come before us and are superheroes,” he added.

Frank Soo played for Stoke City between 1933 and 1945

Soo not only overcame racism, but also made a massive impact on how players trained during his time as a manager.

“When he went to Scandinavia, he had the teams he managed running round in the cold, and the players didn’t like him,” said his great niece, Jacqui Soo.

“He stopped them having sex before the games, there was no smoking, no drinking – which they didn’t like him for.”

She added: “The teams since then, their fitness levels have improved so much, they put their success down to Frank’s training methods.”

Frank Soo has now been inducted into the National Football Museum Hall of Fame

Soo, who died in 1991, was formally inducted into the National Football Hall of Fame during half time of the Stoke v Derby match on Saturday,

It comes almost precisely a year after he was inducted into Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s local Hall of Fame.

It is now hoped that his legacy will help reveal stories about other forgotten greats.