A petition has been started calling for Preston North End to honour another part of its proud history.

A six metre wide granite plaque was unveiled on Friday (22 December_ at the Sir Tom Finney end to mark the achievements of Dick, Kerr Ladies.

Advertisements

Now, fans are calling for the club to honour Arthur Wharton – widely considered to be the world’s first black professional footballer.

After joining Preston in 1886 from Darlington, he left the club in 1888 to focus on a career in running.

The petition says: “Preston should be proud that they supported females in the sport.

“Preston should be proud of their inclusion of all races.

Dick, Kerr Ladies were the most successful women’s football team of all time and now have something to mark this achievement at Deepdale – home of Preston North End.

The Ladies side were set up while working in a local munitions factory 100 years ago.

Read more: This mug from the 1842 Preston Guild has been sold

Christmas Day marked exactly 100 years since the Dick, Kerr Ladies played in front of 10,000 spectators at Preston North End.

They went on to become world champions and had an unbeaten run of more than 320 games and raised around £10million for war-related charities.