Danny Fairman grew up in Kingston, Jamaica, and travelled to England on a boat with his 9 year old younger sister when he was just 12 years old. Errol was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1954, and his mother immigrated to England in 1961. Errol initially remained in Jamaica with his grandmother before joining his mother in England in 1966. At the time, BOAC was the sole airline travelling from Jamaica to England. While his mother was at work, Errol went to Kentwood School in Penge and enjoyed watching football and cricket on TV. Close friend and fellow Ten Em Bee stalwart Tony Davis was also a pupil at the school. Their shared experience of being two of only a handful of black students within the school cemented this friendship and together they aspired to achieve as much as they could with their lives.

The circle of friends grew and together with Frank Stanislas and many others they were able on occasion to get the opportunity to play within some of the local teams in the area. However being dispersed within different clubs and not really feeling a sense of inclusion and belonging they found it an uncomfortable existence and set about seeking change. They decided to build their own team and this dream was the beginning of Ten Em Bee.

Based upon their love of football and their determination to forge their own space within the London football scene they set about recruiting players from their place of employment, The Metal Box Company. The Metal Box was a global firm with locations in Jamaica and South Africa, which gave them confidence in their goal of playing in a squad that was naturally varied and made their players feel included. The name of Ten Em Bee came from the merging between the Tenth Branch of the Metal Box company which is where they all worked in Rotherhite and the Brixton Beehive. In July 1975 Ten Em Bee was born.

Ten Em Bee is a family and on the journey many people have put their energy and drive behind the cause. Every member’s contribution has been vital and is valued immensely. Many people have been supportive along the way. People like Mike Vernon and Scotty have been integral to the growth and existence of the organisation. These are just a few of the influential people that have been pivotal to our growth and it is important that we acknowledge the contribution of all that have contributed over the last 45 years however sadly we would be unable to name them all.

Since 1975, and its members have dedicated their lives to helping their team and the community’s youngsters become the best versions of themselves. This organisation is much more than a football team; it has produced not only Premiership players but we are equally as proud of the young people that have developed to become teachers, police officers, social workers, entrepreneurs and a variety of other community professionals who still come back to visit. Our current sponsor Dean Forbes Co-Founder and Chairman of Forbes Family Group also spent his childhood days at Ten Em Bee prior to him playing at Crystal Palace and becoming one of Britain’s top 50 business leaders according to Lloyds Bank and the Daily Telegraph. This charitable family heritage cannot be spoken without a grin on one’s face because of the wonderful times everyone has shared here.

Please watch our video interviews to hear more of this wonderful story.