Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story
Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story (2026) follows the inspiring life of one of the first black players in the first division of football (Soccer). The film premiered at the Kicking and Screening Film Festival on July 10th at New York City’s Lincoln Center, along with its regular programming for the FIFA World Cup.
Clyde Best, a Bermudian-born soccer player, started his long-reigning career playing for West Ham United in Stratford, East London, at only 17 years old. Best is described by the film’s Executive Producer, Dan Egan, as “England’s Jackie Robinson” for the impact he has made not just in the UK but for the sport of Football itself.
The film portrays how a young player came from the “Silver City” of Somerset, Bermuda’s youth football league, to being thrust into the racially tense post-war world of professional football in England. His rise and legacy also stand on the back of generations of men, like Toney Collins, William Clark, and Jack Ellis, who all paved the way for black men in professional British football.
Beyond that, Best held the record for the most goals scored for the football club for 50 years with 47 goals in a single season.
Best and other black players at the time sometimes endured racially charged harassment on the field.
“I had a job to do, and…” He said, pointing to the sky, “This fella is up to it up here. He’s the one who makes decisions for you. So I was glad that he picked me to be able to go there and withstand the hatred, bigotry, and everything, and be able to come back to be successful.”
He endured harassment from the fans, who would chant at him like a monkey and throw bananas at him when he had the ball.
The Story also highlights that reality through his fellow West Ham teammates, Ade Coker and Clive Charles, who helped lead WHU’s roster into the Premier League in the 1970s alongside Best and also became the symbols of a turning point that led to a more inclusive football club culture in England.
The film also dives into North American football/soccer, where all three men also played. They changed North America, a region that did not particularly have a strong cultural identity around the sport, and made it a beloved, family-friendly tradition through coaching youth sports and representing their talent in the North American Soccer League.
“The US was easier, because we were bringing something too, them,” said Best, “So they were willing to pay attention and listen and learn. You know, when I look at a lot of the young American boys that are coaches now that play with us or against us, you know, it makes you feel good because you’ve not only had a part to play in England, but you had a part to play in North America.”
However, Best and the film acknowledged that there were still racial tensions here in the United States, too. Ade Coker, in the film, describes an incident: while living in Boston, he and a fellow teammate were attacked by a mob in the south part of Boston.
Despite the challenges he and other players faced, The Clyde Best Story shows the impact players can make on the game. Best was present at the premiere, along with some of his family and friends in the audience. Overall, he felt good about finally being able to tell his story.
“I knew that we had something good, because life is all about respect and treating people the way you want to be treated. If you know that, you’re going to be okay,” He said. “If you don’t do that, you’re going to have big, big problems”
The film is touring it’s premier across the US and will be in Atlanta 13-14, at the River Valley Film Festival in Pennsylvania July 18, and Falmouth, MA – Woods Hole Film Festival July 29th, and ending in Plymouth, New Hampshire, August 8th. For more information, visit the film’s website here.