Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 4 hours ago
Jack Leslie was a talented footballer and a Plymouth Argyle FC legend. Called up to the England squad, he was denied the opportunity to become the first Black man to play for his country.
With 137 goals in 401 appearances for Plymouth Argyle, Jack Leslie is believed to be the first Black player to captain a professional football league side. He developed a remarkable partnership with fellow player Sammy Black on the left wing and led his team to fourth place in the Second Division in 1932, Argyle's highest-ever standing in the English Football League.
Leslie achieved this success despite the Football Association (FA) reversing his selection for the national team in 1925 before he could play. Another 53 years would pass before the first Black player appeared in the full England team, when Viv Anderson stepped out to play for England against Czechoslovakia.
Overlooked by England but regarded as a hero in Plymouth, Leslie's association with the city spanned 14 years. The national blue plaque at 8 Glendower Road marks the house in the city where Leslie lived together with his wife and child at the peak of his football career.
In this video we speak with Professor Martin Polley, Sports Historian and Professor Emeritus at De Montfort University; Matt Tiller, Co-Founder of the Jack Leslie Campaign and Jack Leslie’s biographer; Lesley Hiscott, Jack Leslie’s granddaughter; Kevin Hodges, Plymouth Argyles record appearances holder with 620 appearances and 87 goals; and George Connett, Jack Leslie’s Great Nephew.
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Jack Leslie was a talented footballer and a Plymouth Argyle FC legend. Called up to the England squad, he was denied the opportunity to become the first Black man to play for his country.
With 137 goals in 401 appearances for Plymouth Argyle, Jack Leslie is believed to be the first Black player to captain a professional football league side. He developed a remarkable partnership with fellow player Sammy Black on the left wing and led his team to fourth place in the Second Division in 1932, Argyle's highest-ever standing in the English Football League.
Leslie achieved this success despite the Football Association (FA) reversing his selection for the national team in 1925 before he could play. Another 53 years would pass before the first Black player appeared in the full England team, when Viv Anderson stepped out to play for England against Czechoslovakia.
Overlooked by England but regarded as a hero in Plymouth, Leslie's association with the city spanned 14 years. The national blue plaque at 8 Glendower Road marks the house in the city where Leslie lived together with his wife and child at the peak of his football career.
In this video we speak with Professor Martin Polley, Sports Historian and Professor Emeritus at De Montfort University; Matt Tiller, Co-Founder of the Jack Leslie Campaign and Jack Leslie’s biographer; Lesley Hiscott, Jack Leslie’s granddaughter; Kevin Hodges, Plymouth Argyles record appearances holder with 620 appearances and 87 goals; and George Connett, Jack Leslie’s Great Nephew.
___
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: youtube.com/channel/UChsbpRsD0SiZNsvwdZAR4zQ?sub_confirmation=1
Follow us on
Facebook: facebook.com/HistoricEngland
Instagram: instagram.com/historicengland
Twitter/X: twitter.com/HistoricEngland
Visit our website ➡️ historicengland.org.uk
