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Black and Asian Athletes in British Sport and Society This page intentionally left blank Black and Asian Athletes in British Sport and Society A Sporting Chance? Patrick Ismond © Patrick Ismond 2003 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2003 978-0-333-92061-9 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2003 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 Companies and representatives throughout the world PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-42460-3 ISBN 978-0-230-51090-6 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/978-0-230-51090-6 This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ismond, Patrick. Black and Asian athletes in British sport and society:a sporting chance?/Patrick Ismond. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Racism in sports—Great Britain. 2. Sex discrimination in sports—Great Britain. 3. Sports—Social aspects —Great Britain. 4. Great Britain—Race relations I. Title. GV706.32.I84 2003 796Ј.089—dc21 2003041435 10987654321 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 To my family, and to the ‘dorsal-finned Stobbider’ This page intentionally left blank Contents List of Figures viii Acknowledgements ix Notes on the Interviewees x Introduction: a Sporting Chance? xiii Part I ‘Race’ and Male Sport 1 1 Understanding ‘Race’ and Sport 3 2 British Minority Ethnic Groups, Sport and Society 23 3 Sporting Beginnings 55 4 Sport in the Later Years 91 Part II ‘Race’, Gender and Sport 125 5 Women and Sport 127 6 Interviews with Black and Asian Sportswomen 143 Conclusion 183 Bibliography 188 Index 197 vii List of Figures 3.1 Cyrille Regis (Photo courtesy of Action Rewind Photography)56 3.2 Jason Gardener (Photo courtesy of Mark Shearman)57 3.3 Garth Crooks (Photo courtesy of BBC Press Office)58 3.4 Gurbinder Singh (Photo courtesy of Darren Holloway)60 3.5 Chris Sanigar 61 3.6 Paul Hull (Photo courtesy of Bristol United Press)63 3.7 David Lawrence (Photo courtesy of Bristol United Press)72 3.8 Sean Viera 77 3.9 Martin Offiah (Photo courtesy of Wigan Observer)82 3.10 Zia Haque 89 4.1 Viv Anderson (Photo courtesy of Middlesbrough Football Club) 112 6.1 Joice Maduaka, front (Photo courtesy of Mark Shearman) 144 6.2 Azmina Mitha, left 154 6.3 Ivy Alexander 164 6.4 Myra Barretto 174 viii Acknowledgements Many people have helped me in my journey to finish this book. I thank the fifteen athletes for trusting me enough to share their honest, con- sidered, and at times inspiring views about the issues raised here. Without their contributions, the study would be so much the less. Throughout the time it has taken me to produce this book, I was also fortunate to receive the intellectual and emotional support of friends, colleagues and associates. I thank Ellis Cashmore, John Solomos, Stuart Allan, Jo Haynes and Judith Ramsden for looking at and commenting on early drafts of chapters; and Terry Henry, Jason Pegg and Jo Hopkins for commenting on later chapters. In particular, my heartfelt thanks go to Mark Taylor, whose insights and suggestions about the entire manu- script helped to formulate my ideas. I also owe a debt of gratitude to Jon Garland, in his role as prepublication reviewer, for helpful com- ments on the manuscript. My task of researching historical infor- mation was made so much easier by extremely helpful librarians. You are too many to mention, but special thanks must go to Ann Collings at Leicester University. You saved me at the last. I thank Karen Brazier, formerly of Palgrave Macmillan, for showing faith in the project in the first place, and also Jennifer Nelson for her advice and support. I also thank the team-mates who have played inside, outside and upfront of me during many never-say-die football matches. This ‘community’ contains people who have cajoled and supported me through fireside conversations about the subject of racism and sport, and helped me to persevere with the project. They are my closest friends. A special thanks to Billy Clay, Frank D’Arcy and Joel Samuels. Of course, the final responsibility for what remains is mine. My biggest personal debt is to Jo Hopkins, without whose under- standing and support, this book would not have been completed. ix Notes on the Interviewees Ages and information are relevant to the time of interview. Former élite professionals Viv Anderson (44 years) became the first black footballer to play in a full international for England. He has won numerous domestic honours in the game, and at the time of interview was assistant coach at Middlesbrough FC. Garth Crooks (41 years) enjoyed a successful football career before becoming a leading sports journalist and broadcaster. Paul Hull (32 years) combined success in rugby union with a career in the Royal Air Force. He gained a number of full representative caps for England in the 1990s, whilst playing for Bristol Rugby Club. At the time of interview, he was employed in a corporate hospitality role for the club. David Lawrence (35 years) enjoyed a distinguished career in first-class cricket, becoming the first British-born black man to represent England at international level. He owns and runs a number of businesses in the West of England. Cyrille Regis (41 years) had a long and successful football career, and was one of the first black men to represent England at full international level. Until recently, he worked at West Bromwich Albion FC in a coach- ing and administrative capacity. Chris Sanigar (46 years) had a long and successful career as an amateur boxer, before turning professional and becoming the number one con- tender for the British Light Welterweight title. He currently works as a boxing trainer and promoter. Current élite professionals and semi-professionals Jason Gardener (26 years) is one of Britain’s top male sprinters. He is the European indoor 60 metre champion, and one of the very few British athletes to run 100 metres in under ten seconds. He regularly competes on the international circuit. x Notes on the Interviewees xi Joice Maduaka (27 years) is one of Britain’s top women sprinters. In 1998, she was crowned British champion over 60 metres (indoors) and 100 metres. She regularly competes on the international circuit, and has run one of the fastest times ever recorded by a British woman over 100 metres. Martin Offiah (35 years) is arguably the most well-known rugby league player the British game has ever produced. A former member of the England and Great Britain Lions teams, Offiah has broken many records in a prolific try-scoring career. He has also won the domestic games’ most prestigious honours. He currently plays for a rugby union club in London. Gurbinder Singh (23 years) is a British weightlifting champion who competes in the 105kg class. He has competed at various national championships and won a bronze medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Sean Viera (33 years) has been a world and European kickboxing cham- pion three times, and won the British championship eight times. He is a martial arts instructor, runs a security firm, and is promotions manager for a jazz dance troupe. Current serious amateurs Ivy Alexander (43 years) plays competitive, amateur football in a women’s Sunday league team. She is employed as a social worker. Myra Barretto (36 years) plays tennis and netball to County standard, and has also swum competitively. She is a qualified primary school teacher. Zia Haque (53 years) played county-level badminton and hockey whilst in the army. Haque continues to play badminton to county standard, and manages his own sports shop. Azmina Mitha (21 years) is a qualified self-defence instructor in Ju-Jitsu, a Japanese form of martial art. She has worked for Awaz Utaoh (see Chapter 6) for two years, in a part-time capacity. This page intentionally left blank Introduction: a Sporting Chance? The idea that the world’s population groups can be divided into discrete categories, or ‘races’, each with their own physical and psychological attributes, has a long history. Nowadays, the term ‘race’ can still be heard in everyday discourse, but has generally been discredited by science and academia. However, the spirit of this classification lives on, even if the terminology has changed. Populist discourses now refer to ‘cultural differences’ existing between different ethnic groups; whilst there has been a renewed interest in genetics and heredity. These more recent discourses, and the priorities of some scientific research, con- tribute to perpetuating ingrained beliefs about black and Asian groups, and their relationship to sport (see ‘A Note on Terminology’ below).