THE BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY:: BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFR-TRINIDADIAN " SHAKA HIS-LOP " A PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLER WHO PLAYS IN THE ENGLISH PRIMER LEAGUE : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "

Sunday 2 March 2014

BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFR-TRINIDADIAN " SHAKA HIS-LOP " A PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLER WHO PLAYS IN THE ENGLISH PRIMER LEAGUE : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "

ShakBa Hislop Biography

Shaka was Show Racism the Red Card’s very first Honorary Patron. Founder of the campaign, Ged Grebby, sent him a copy of an Education Pack produced by Youth Against Racism in Europe members about racism and Shaka enjoyed it so much that he sent a donation of £50 and asked to be sent future copies. It was the success of the education pack and Shaka’s positive response that gave the Show Racism the Red Card project the impetus to develop more educational resources and use the high-profile of professional footballers to educate young people about racism through resources and events.

In 1996, Shaka Hislop was Newcastle United’s goalkeeper and he came to the first SRtRC educational event, which was held at Gosforth High School. Having players from Newcastle United talk about the subject of racism had an extremely positive impact on young people and also drew more attention to the issue. Since then, Shaka has attended over 15 SRtRC events around the country and has also become the Honorary President of the campaign.

After graduating from college in Trindad, Shaka gained a scholarship with Howard University in the USA, leading the team to the NCAA final. After graduating with honours and a degree in mechanical engineering, Shaka was spotted by a scout from Reading FC. He played for Reading for three years, twice being named player of the year, before being signed for Newcastle United. After three years with NUFC he joined West Ham United, enjoying four years with the Hammers and making over 100 league appearances for them. In 2002 he joined Portsmouth, before returning to West Ham for the 2005-2006 season. He played in that season’s FA Cup final before moving to the MLS to play for Dallas. Shaka’s international career saw him capped 26 times for Trinidad & Tobago, including appearances in the 2006 World Cup. He was also capped by England at Under-21 level.

Shaka now works in the USA, writing a blog for The Guardian, commenting on MLS matches for ESPN and as a goalkeeping coach for the Quinnipiac University team. As well as being in the SRtRC Hall of Fame, Shaka was inducted into the Sporting Hall of Fame of Trinidad & Tobago. In 2005 Shaka was recognised by the Professional Footballers’ Association for his support of the campaign and was given the PFA Merit Award for meritorious service to football.