Black History Month takes place every October, providing everyone with the opportunity to share, celebrate and understand the impact of black heritage and culture.

This year, we're highlighting some of the best grassroots football stories among players, coaches and referees within West Riding football... 

Name – Martin Pemberton

Current Job – Coach/ Mentor at Just 1 to 11 it Coaching. 

Previous Clubs – Oldham Athletic, Doncaster Rovers, Hartlepool United, Harrogate Town, Bradford Park Avenue, Mansfield Town, Stockport County, Farsley Celtic. 

Tell us about how and why you got involved in playing football? 

I’ve always loved football for as long as I can remember, started playing in teams from the age of about 7 years old and decided at that age that I wanted to become a Professional Footballer. 

What did you enjoy about playing football? 

I felt free on the football pitch, no worries, just a love of the game and I loved scoring goals!

What is your best memory of playing? 

There’s so many fantastic memories that I can’t narrow down to just one but my proudest moment was getting back into professional football at Mansfield Town after falling out of the pro game for a couple of years. That was a real sense of achievement for me, being resilient, not letting go of the dream despite setbacks. 

Since playing football what have you gone on to do?

Since playing football I’ve gone onto be a Learning Mentor for disadvantaged children, a Public Speaker around mental health and I’ve gone on to create a coaching programme with my partner that helps people with their relationships that we’re very proud of. 

What are the biggest obstacles you have faced in playing football? 

Coming back from 3 serious back injuries, two of which required surgery, as I mentioned earlier, the disappointment of coming out of the pro game and recovering from mental health problems after retiring from football. 

Who’s had the biggest influence in your playing football career and why? 

My mum and dad have been the biggest influences on me because they’ve always supported me, taken me to all the training sessions as a kid, driven all over the country to watch me play as a professional and believed in me when I told them I wanted to become a Professional Footballer, they never told me that I couldn’t or wouldn’t be able to. They just made me aware of the sacrifices and hard work it would take and to believe in myself. 

What advice would you give to people wishing to get involved in playing football? 

Get involved for the love of the game, what you’ll get from it but more importantly what you’ll give to it.