Billy Meredith

Commissioned by Withington Walls, Billy Meredith: Football’s First Superstar follows the creation of a public mural celebrating one of the game’s earliest icons.

Billy Meredith was more than a footballer. In the early 1900s, he dazzled crowds for Manchester City, Manchester United and Wales, often with a toothpick in his mouth and songs sung from the stands. Obsessively dedicated to fitness and training, he avoided drinking and smoking, extending his career until he was nearly fifty – unheard of in his era.

But Meredith’s legacy stretches far beyond the pitch.

A working-class pioneer, he challenged the status quo of the game, campaigning for players’ rights and fair pay. In 1907, he helped establish The Players’ Union in Manchester – the organisation that would become today’s Professional Footballers’ Association, still supporting players on and off the field.

As artist Jamie Steward paints a restrained palette of blues and reds onto a Withington wall, the film reflects on hard work, skill, and advocacy – and why Meredith’s story still matters to the game, the community, and the city today.