Frank Soo

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Frank Soo bigraphy, stories - Footballer

Frank Soo : biography

12 March 1914 – 25 January 1991

Hong Ying "Frank" Soo (12 March 1914 – 25 January 1991) was an English professional football player and manager of mixed Chinese and English parentage. Soo played as an inside forward in the Football League for Luton Town and Stoke City. He was first player of Chinese origin to play in the Football league, and the first non-white player to represent England (in unofficial wartime matches).

After ending his playing days at non-league Chelmsford City, he went on to coach various different European clubs in the 1950s and early 1960s. He was particularly active in Sweden, managing Eskilstuna, Örebro, Djurgårdens, IK Oddevold, AIK, Köping IS, and IFK Stockholm. He also coached Italian club Calcio Padova, English clubs Scunthorpe United and St Albans City, Norwegian side Fredrikstad, and also coached Norway at the 1952 Summer Olympics.

Career statistics

Club Season Division League FA Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Stoke City 1933–34 First Division 14 1 2 2 16 3
1934–35 9 0 0 0 9 0
1935–36 35 0 5 0 40 0
1936–37 31 0 0 0 31 0
1937–38 42 2 3 2 45 5
1938–39 42 2 2 1 44 3
Total 173 5 12 5 185 10
Leicester City 1945–46 0 0 2 0 2 0
Total 0 0 2 0 2 0
Luton Town 1946–47 Second Division 38 0 4 0 42 0
1947–48 33 4 3 1 36 5
Total 71 4 7 1 78 5
Career Total 244 9 21 6 265 15

Personal life

Soo was born in Buxton, Derbyshire, and brought up in Liverpool. His parents, Liverpool-based Chinese sailor father Our Quong Soo (can also be transliterated as Ah Kwong Soo) and English mother Beatrice Whittam, had married in Chorlton, Manchester in 1908. Frank had a number of siblings; an elder brother Norman (born 1909 in Chorlton), and younger siblings: Phyllis, Ronald, Jack, Harold and finally Kenneth in 1931. By 1920 the family had settled in West Derby, Liverpool. His brother, Ronald, was killed on 14 January 1944 while serving as an air gunner in No. 166 Squadron. He is buried at Hanover Cemetery, Germany., Commonwealth War Graves Commission, cwgc.org. Retrieved 2 June 2010. Having later lived in several countries, his address at the time of his death was given as New Cheadle Hospital, Cheadle, Staffordshire.Probate Records, London WC1 (1991)

Style of play

Soo was noted for his ability to deliver perfectly placed passes.

Managerial career

In April 1951 he was appointed as manager of Italian club Padova, but left his post after the club were relegated out of Serie A in 1951–52. Later in 1952 he became coach of the Norway national football team, (Norwegian) and coached them at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He later managed Swedish side Eskilstuna, taking over at Örebro in 1953, Djurgårdens in 1954, IK Oddevold in 1956 and AIK in 1958.

In June 1959 he was appointed as manager of Scunthorpe United, but left in May 1960 after his one season in charge had seen Scunthorpe finish a respectable 15th in Second Division. Afterwards he had a spell as manager of Isthmian League outfit St Albans City. He subsequently returned to Scandinavia, taking over as coach of Köping IS in 1962, IFK Stockholm in 1963, Fredrikstad in 1964 (Norwegian) and AB Copenhagen in 1965. He later coached a number of teams in Copenhagen and Malmö before taking over as coach of Höganäs BK in 1972.