Nigerian Footballers in England

An enlightening account of the first Nigerian football team to tour outside West Africa.

This enlightening account follows the Nigerian team as they embark upon their first tour of England in 1949. Challenging the best amateurs in the country we see a squad made up of civil servants and teachers gallantly take on Marine Crosby of Liverpool. In these joyous scenes black and white spectators stand side by side on the terraces enjoying the beautiful game together; a significant observation considering the race riots in the city only a year earlier.

This tour acted as a precursor for other visiting teams from the British colonies, with the Gold Coast visiting in 1951, Trinidad in 1953, Uganda in 1956 and the West Indies football team in 1959. The film was made by the Colonial Film Unit (1939-1955), a government initiative used by the Ministry of Information to promote the virtues of Britain and its way of life to African audiences.