Award of honorary posthumous England cap to Frank Soo
Tabled 15 September 2025 by Daisy Cooper
That this House celebrates the award of an honorary posthumous England Cap for Frank Soo by the Football Association, to his family and the Frank Soo Foundation; recognises that Frank Soo was the first player of Asian descent to play for England, making his debut against Wales in 1942, and that he went on to play for England a further eight times in addition to captaining the RAF team during the Second World War; regrets that, while Frank was one of the best footballers of his generation, that until now his story has often been forgotten; notes that because wartime matches aren’t internationally recognised by FIFA as official fixtures, the presentation of a posthumous honorary cap has allowed the Football Association the opportunity to acknowledge Frank as a trailblazer in English football; further notes that Frank was born in Derbyshire to a Chinese father and English mother, that he grew up in Liverpool and had a successful club football career including with Stoke City as captain, Leicester City and Luton Town; commends Frank’s success in his later career as manager at St Albans City, and as the 1952 Helsinki Olympics coach of the Norwegian national team; recognises how fitting the announcement of Frank’s honorary cap is during East and South East Asian heritage month, which celebrates the positive contributions these communities have had on the UK; and wishes Frank’s family and the Frank Soo foundation well for the presentation of the honorary cap on 9 October at Wembley Stadium.