Trinidadian and Bajan Royal Air Force pilots during World War II // Image via Wikimedia Commons
Since then, footballers with West Indian heritage have been a constant in the top flight, with increasing prevalence in the Premier League era. As the image of the game was rehabilitated and the authorities went to war with conspicuous racism on the terraces, a new generation of footballers including Paul Ince, Dwight Yorke, Les Ferdinand, Frank Sinclair and Ian Wright – with Ince, Yorke and Ferdinand of Trinidadian, Tobagonian and St Lucian descent respectively, and the others of Jamaican parentage – arrived on the scene to lead the way. While racist incidents still occur in club football from season to season, they are generally isolated and swiftly resolved in comparison to the situation in the seventies and eighties. Footballers with Caribbean backgrounds have made a significant contribution in that regard, not only through their visibility on the pitch but also through the concerted efforts of many to work with initiatives like Show Racism The Red Card and the Kick It Out campaign.Now, all these years later, there are players of Caribbean parentage at every step of the English league system. Judging by the end-of-season first-team rosters for 2016-17, there are seven full Caribbean internationals in the Championship, a further seven in League One and an impressive 11 in League Two, as well as numerous others with Caribbean heritage who are either eligible or have chosen to represent England at some level instead. Their roots lie as far afield as Bermuda, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Trinidad and Tobago, Montserrat, Genada and Curaçao, amongst others. This is how much English football has changed in the decades since the postwar generation of West Indian immigrants first arrived on these shores, and indicative of how much the Caribbean influences the game in England today.READ MORE: For The Somaliland National Team, Recognition Means More Than Acclaim
Romaine playing for Brentford in February // PA Images
"The Caribbean influence in England, I think it's growing," Romaine goes on. "There are more players that are coming out of the works from the Caribbean, and there are obviously big teams like Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica, so we're making progress as a region." With lads from, amongst other British towns, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Leicester in the St Kitts and Nevis national team, it's clear that there is considerable back and forth between the islands and the UK in terms of players. Certainly, the teammates who play their club football in England bring something back from their time on international duty, more than just the team WhatsApp group which Romaine checks daily. "I was fortunate enough to be at West Brom since [age] seven, so I've always been in an academy environment," he says. "Some of my teammates who I play with at national team level, they haven't had those opportunities, and I can only imagine how hard it was for them to get where they are. I think that's actually made me more determined for my own career, because I'm mindful that the more successful I am, the more successful they will be."READ MORE: Introducing Enfield Town, England's First Fully Fan-Owned Club
Andre in Dagenham colours // Photo provided by Dagenham and Redbridge
Andre playing for Trinidad and Tobago in 2013 // EPA Images / Robert Ghement
Shaun celebrates at The Den // Photo provided by Millwall FC
Shaun is not the only Millwall player to represent a Caribbean country at international level, with teammate and fellow defender Mahlon Romeo having earned eight caps for Antigua and Barbuda at the age of 21. He is the son of Trevor Romeo, a musician and producer of Antiguan descent who most of us know as Soul II Soul's Jazzie B. This is something about which he is doubtlessly asked a gratuitous amount, so we skirt over the topic and get straight to speaking about Antigua, where he has been going on holiday for as long as he can remember. Mahlon grew up in Camden, and one of the first things he tells us is that he is a longstanding fan of our colleagues over on Noisey. He has not heard of VICE Sports, or at least not yet.READ MORE: Unpacking The Logic Behind Calling a Footballer 'The New Thierry Henry'
Mahlon in action for Millwall // Photo provided by Millwall FC
Joel (centre) with Jamaica in 2015 // EPA Images / Javier Valdes Larrondo
