Andrew Watson (footballer, born 1856)

Andrew Watson

Personal information
Full name	Andrew Watson
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Full back

Andrew Watson (born 18 May 1857, Demerara, British Guiana; died 16 January 1902, Sydney, Australia) is widely considered to be the world's first black association footballer to play at international level. He was capped three times for Scotland between 1881 and 1882. Although Arthur Wharton is commonly thought to be Britain's first black player, Watson's career predates him by over a decade, although Wharton was the first black player to turn professional.

Andrew Watson was the son of a wealthy Scottish sugar planter Peter Miller and a local woman named Rose Watson. He was educated at King's College School, where records show he excelled at sports including football. He later studied philosophy, mathematics and engineering at University of Glasgow when he was 19, where his love of football blossomed. He played in the full back position, on either the right or the left flank.

After first playing for Maxwell, in 1876 he signed for local side Parkgrove where he was additionally their match secretary, making him the first black administrator in football. On 14 April 1880, he was selected to represent Glasgow against Sheffield—Glasgow won 1-0 at Bramall Lane. After marrying in Glasgow, he soon signed for Queen's Park F.C. – then Britain's biggest football team – and later became their secretary. He led the team to several Scottish Cup wins, thus becoming the first black player to win a major competition.

Soon Watson won three international caps for Scotland. His first cap came for Scotland v. England on 12 March 1881; Scotland won 6 - 1. A few days later Scotland played Wales where they won 5 - 1. Watson's last cap came on Scottish soil against England on 11 March 1882. This was a 5 - 1 victory again to Scotland.

In 1882, he was the first black player to play in the FA Cup when he turned out for Swifts. In 1884 he was the first foreign player to be invited to join the most exclusive of football teams, a team that allowed only 50 members of high elite to join—the Corinthians. During his time there, this included an 8 - 1 victory against Blackburn Rovers, who were at that time the English Cup holders.

The colour of his skin was of no significance to his peers and there is no historical record of racism on the part of the Scottish Football Association. One match report is more interested in Watson's unusual brown boots rather than the customary black boots of that time. As written in the minutes, before one match where Watson was injured and unable to play, an SFA vice-president said if Watson had been fit he would have happily drugged a fellow Scottish international to give Watson his place.

Watson's entry in the Scottish Football Association Annual of 1880-81 reads as follows:

"Watson, Andrew: One of the very best backs we have; since joining Queen's Park has made rapid strides to the front as a player; has great speed and tackles splendidly; powerful and sure kick; well worthy of a place in any representative team."

There is almost no record of his later life, though it is known that Watson later emigrated to Australia, as he died in Sydney circa 1902 and is buried there. In 1926 the sportswriter "Tityrus" (the pseudonym of J.A.H. Catton, editor of the Athletic News) named Andrew Watson as left back in his all-time Scotland team — a remarkable endorsement of the talent of a footballer who had played at such an early date, from a man who had watched almost every England-Scotland international over the preceding 50 years.

International appearances

12 March 1881 — Kennington Oval, London, England
England 1-6 Scotland

14 March 1881 — Acton Park, Wrexham, Wales
Wales 1-5 Scotland

11 March 1882 — Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland
Scotland 5-1 England

External links

• Glasgow University Biography of Andrew Watson
• The Glasgow Story
• Scottish Football Association International Profile of Andrew Watson