The Lion Who Never Roared - The Jack Leslie Story

The inspirational story of Jack Leslie, the first black footballer to be selected for England in 1925.
About this Event

Matt Tiller's book is the moving biography of the first black footballer to be selected for England in 1925. But Jack was dropped due to the colour of his skin.

At the time he was playing professionally in Devon for Plymouth Argyle, where he became a club legend.

Jack's inspirational story will be told with archive photos that cover his childhood in East London, glory at Argyle with 137 goals in 400 games, adventures in France and South America and a bittersweet epilogue at West Ham United… where an aging Jack cleaned the boots of World Cup winners like Bobby Moore. The England selection will be discussed in detail and Matt will happily take questions.

An Argyle fan, Matt is also co-founder of The Jack Leslie Campaign which raised more than £100,000 for a statue which was unveiled outside Home Park in Plymouth in 2022. The FA has since awarded Jack a posthumous honorary cap, nearly a century after his selection.