Editing Brendon Batson

{{Short description|English footballer (born 1953)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Brendon Batson<br><small>[[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]</small>
| image = The Three Degrees statue - New Square, West Bromwich (48488490306).jpg
| caption = Statue of the Three Degrees showing Batson (centre) alongside [[Laurie Cunningham|Cunningham]] (left) and [[Cyrille Regis|Regis]] (right)
| fullname = Brendon Martin Batson
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1953|2|6}}
| birth_place = [[St. George's, Grenada]]
| height = 
| position = [[Defender (association football)#Full-back|Right-back]]
| youthyears1 = 
| youthclubs1 = [[Arsenal F.C. Under-21s and Academy|Arsenal]]
| years1 = 1971–1974
| clubs1 = [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]]
| caps1 = 10
| goals1 = 0
| years2 = 1974–1978
| clubs2 = [[Cambridge United F.C.|Cambridge United]]
| caps2 = 163
| goals2 = 6
| years3 = 1978–1982
| clubs3 = [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|West Bromwich Albion]]
| caps3 = 172 <!--League games only-->
| goals3 = 1
| totalcaps = 345
| totalgoals = 7
| nationalyears1 = 1980–1981
| nationalteam1 = [[England B national football team|England B]]
| nationalcaps1 = 3
| nationalgoals1 = 0
}}
'''Brendon Martin Batson''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|OBE}} (born 6 February 1953) is a former professional [[association football|footballer]] who played as a [[Defender (association football)#Full-back|right-back]]. In his eleven-year career, he played for [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]], [[Cambridge United F.C.|Cambridge United]] and [[West Bromwich Albion]].<ref name=Stats /> Born in [[Grenada]], he made three appearances for the [[England B national football team|England B team]].

==Club career==
Born in [[St. George's, Grenada]], Batson moved with his family to [[Trinidad and Tobago|Trinidad]] at the age of 6 and then migrated from the [[West Indies]] to England when he was nine years old in 1962.<ref name=Bio>{{cite web|url=http://www.furd.org/default.asp?intPageID=33|title=Brendon Batson|website=FURD.org}}</ref> Until then he had never even seen a game of football and a teacher at his school, on watching his early efforts and reflecting on his birthplace opined, "Well, perhaps [[cricket]] is your game."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://caribbean.halloffame.tripod.com/Brendon_Batson.html|title=Brendon Batson: Biography|website=Tripod.com}}</ref> However, he was signed as a schoolboy by [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]], and whilst at the club's academy won the [[FA Youth Cup]] of [[FA Youth Cup Finals of the 1970s|1971]].<ref name=ArsenalCup /> Batson signed as a professional at 17 years old at the club and eventually went on to feature for the Gunners' first team, becoming the first black player to do so.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.arsenal.com/news/black-history-month-brendon-batsons-story|title=Black History Month: Brendon Batson's story|publisher=Arsenal F.C.|date=18 October 2023|access-date=5 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Hern |first1=Bill |last2=Gleave |first2=David |title=Football's Black Pioneers |date=2020 |publisher=Conker Editions |location=Leicester |isbn=9781999900854 |pages=168–169}}</ref> In all, he made 10 appearances for Arsenal, before moving to [[Cambridge United F.C.|Cambridge United]] in 1974. He spent four years at Cambridge, captaining the side to the [[Football League Fourth Division|Fourth Division Championship]] under manager [[Ron Atkinson]] in the [[1976–77 in English football|1976–77 season]]. At Cambridge, Batson made a total of 163 appearances and scored six goals altogether.<ref name=Bio /><ref name=Arsenal>{{cite web|url=http://www.arsenal.com/history/profiles/38/brendon-batson|title=Brendon Batson|website=Arsenal.com|access-date=16 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228164520/http://www.arsenal.com/history/profiles/38/brendon-batson|archive-date=28 February 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

When Atkinson moved to [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|West Bromwich Albion]] in 1978, he successfully encouraged Batson to follow him and team up with fellow black players [[Cyrille Regis]] and [[Laurie Cunningham]], leaving in a deal worth £28,000. Although not by any means the first black footballers to play professionally in England, the players nicknamed ''Three Degrees'' by Atkinson, a reference to [[The Three Degrees|contemporary vocal trio of the same name]], were pioneering, iconic and extremely popular with West Brom's fans.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://offsiderulepodcast.com/2015/08/07/cyrille-regis-brendon-batson-reflect-on-their-time-at-west-bromwich-albion/|title=Cyrille Regis & Brendon Batson reflect on their time at West Bromwich Albion|website=Offside Rule Podcast.com}}</ref> This trio's fame is to such an extent that in 2012 plans were put forward for a statue of which would honor the footballing trio being purposely displayed in October 2014 at [[The Hawthorns]]. The completed statue was publicly unveiled in New Square in the town on 21 May 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.itv.com/news/central/2019-05-21/three-degrees-statue-honouring-west-brom-footballers-unveiled/|title=Three Degrees: Statue honouring West Brom footballers unveiled|website=ITV News}}</ref>

Whilst a West Bromwich Albion player, he featured in a [[Len Cantello Testimonial Match|benefit match]] for [[Len Cantello]], that saw a team of white players play against a team of black players.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-37924448|title=The match that pitted white players against black players|date=17 November 2016|accessdate=18 November 2016|author=Adrian Chiles|publisher=BBC}}</ref> He played 160 games for the Baggies before his career was cut short in 1982 by a serious knee injury.<ref name=Arsenal /><ref name=Bio />

==International career==
Batson was capped three times for the [[England B national football team|England B]] team against the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]], [[Spain national football team|Spain]] and [[Australia national men's soccer team|Australia]].<ref name=Stats>{{cite web|url=http://www.11v11.com/players/brendan-batson-29789/|title=Brendan Batson|website=11v11.com}}</ref>

==Administrative career==
Following the end to his playing days, Batson was thereafter appointed as the deputy chief executive of the [[Professional Footballers' Association]] in 1984. He then spent a total of 18 years in this position and remains as a trustee of the association. He later rejoined West Brom within the role of a managing director at the club, helping to form the West Bromwich Albion Former Players' Association in 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wba.co.uk/club/former_players.aspx|title=FORMER PLAYERS|website=WBA.co.uk}}</ref> Batson in 2007, joined the [[Sports Grounds Safety Authority]], then known at the time as the Football Licensing Agency (FLA). He is the longest serving member of the board of the authority.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.safetyatsportsgrounds.org.uk/news/sgsa-board-member-honoured-services-football|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20150204091756/http://www.safetyatsportsgrounds.org.uk/news/sgsa%2Dboard%2Dmember%2Dhonoured%2Dservices%2Dfootball|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 February 2015|title=SGSA Board Member Honoured For Services To Football|accessdate=30 January 2015|website=Safety at Sports Grounds.org.uk}}</ref><ref name=Arsenal />

==Personal life==
Married Pamela Hodgetts on the 20th September 2024. Batson’s first marriage was to Cecily, who died in September 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/west-bromwich-albion-legend-brendon-131869|title=West Bromwich Albion legend Brendon Batson speaks of late wife heartbreak|website=Birmingham Mail.co.uk}}</ref> Batson was appointed [[Member of the Order of the British Empire]] (MBE) in the [[2001 New Year Honours]]<ref name=MBE>{{London Gazette |issue=56070 |date=30 December 2000 |page=14 |supp=y }}</ref><ref name=MBE*>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/1092592.stm|title=Batson awarded MBE|website=BBC.co.uk}}</ref>
and [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in the [[2015 New Year Honours]],<ref name=OBE>{{London Gazette|issue=61092|supp=y|page=N11|date=31 December 2014}}</ref><ref name=OBE*>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/391413/New_Year_Honours_List_2015.pdf|title=2015 New Year Honours List|website=Gov.uk}}</ref> both for services to football.

==Honours==
'''Arsenal Youth'''
*[[FA Youth Cup]]: [[FA Youth Cup Finals of the 1970s|1970–71]]<ref name=ArsenalCup>{{cite web|url=http://www.arsenal.com/155/unhoused-import-pages/the-fa-youth-cup?ts=dn|title=The FA Youth Cup|website=Arsenal.com|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312045456/http://www.arsenal.com/155/unhoused-import-pages/the-fa-youth-cup?ts=dn|archivedate=12 March 2017}}</ref>

'''Cambridge United'''
*[[Football League Fourth Division|Fourth Division]]: [[1976–77 Football League#Fourth Division|1976–77]]<ref name=Arsenal />

'''Individual'''
*[[PFA Team of the Year (1970s)|PFA Team of the Year]]: [[PFA Team of the Year (1970s)#Fourth Division 4|1976–77 Fourth Division]],<ref name="Lynch 141">{{Cite book | last = Lynch | title = The Official P.F.A. Footballers Heroes | page = 141 }}</ref> [[PFA Team of the Year (1970s)#Third Division 5|1977–78 Third Division]]<ref name="Lynch 142">{{Cite book | last = Lynch | title = The Official P.F.A. Footballers Heroes | page = 142 }}</ref>
*[[English Football Hall of Fame]]: 2024<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.arsenal.com/news/brendon-batson-inducted-football-hall-fame|title=Brendon Batson inducted into Football Hall of Fame|publisher=Arsenal F.C.|date=1 March 2024|access-date=5 March 2024}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*D. Bowler & J. Bains (2000), ''Samba in the Smethwick End: Regis, Cunningham, Batson and the Football Revolution'', {{ISBN|1-84018-188-5}}
*Paul Rees (2014), ''The Three Degrees: The Men Who Changed British Football Forever'' {{ISBN|978-1-4721-1926-1}}
*Brendon Batson (2023), ''The Third Degree: My Autobiography'' {{ISBN|978-1-7398-3424-1}}

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{{1976–77 Football League Fourth Division PFA Team of the Year}}
{{1977–78 Football League Third Division PFA Team of the Year}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Batson, Brendon}}
[[Category:1953 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:English men's footballers]]
[[Category:Men's association football fullbacks]]
[[Category:Arsenal F.C. players]]
[[Category:Cambridge United F.C. players]]
[[Category:West Bromwich Albion F.C. players]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:England men's B international footballers]]
[[Category:Grenadian emigrants to England]]
[[Category:Black British sportsmen]]
[[Category:People from St. George's, Grenada]]
[[Category:English Football League players]]