Icons of Football: Jen Beattie

Scotland defender Jen Beattie has graced some of the biggest arenas and is now playing for the recently formed Bay FC in San Francisco.

The defender is featured in BBC Scotland’s Icons of Football and former team-mates look back on her career.

‘She’s transcended her sport’

Alex Scott, former Arsenal team-mate

She brought this leadership about her. You never worried when she was on the pitch around you. She had such ability to pick a pass and always be so composed in those moments.

You know if she speaks in a changing room, it’s not for the benefit of herself, it’s for the benefit of her team. When she speaks with true authority, you want to listen to what she has to say.

She’s transcended her sport. Yes, she’s a football player, but you’re using your platform for the greater good. When I think of Jennifer, I think of someone who has touched people in so many ways and that’s why she’s an icon of football.

Ian Wright, former Arsenal footballer

When she arrived at Arsenal, she was probably ready, she’d have been up for the challenge, but it would have been daunting.

Jen Beattie’s generation were chasing a dream that wasn’t there, football was almost like a side gig. She was doing a degree at the same time. It wasn’t a career option when someone like Jen started playing.

She’s so self-assured, so confident. She has a beautiful self-assured nature. She’s knowledgeable, knows her stuff and speaks eloquently.

A leader, so much experience, puts her body on the line, shows up in big moments – that’s the kind of person we’re dealing with. She gained a lot of admirers when she came out publicly about her cancer diagnosis. Again, that’s her just wanting women to understand how important it is to get those checks, that sums her up and what she’s about.

‘One of the best friends I could ask for’

Kim Little, former Arsenal and Scotland team-mate on Beattie’s breast cancer diagnosis

She’s a really intelligent footballer, she reads the game very well. Our pathways into the game are quite similar.

I went to her appointment with her at the clinic, I drove her there. I was pacing outside for ages; it was during the pandemic so no-one could go in with her and I went as her family couldn’t be there.

Looking back on it now, to have been there for her in that moment means a lot to me and I hope it does for her as well. I’m glad I could be there with her through that time.

You have this big thing happen in your life and then you’re still doing your job, which is football. I suppose it seems quite unimportant when you’re going through things like that but it brings a togetherness when you constantly have friends and team-mates around you.

She’s been one of the best friends I could ask for. We’ve got each other through a lot.

Her resilience and her longevity in the game and how successful she’s been, not just on the pitch but off the pitch in advocating for things and going through cancer too – she’s very deserving of being named an icon of the game.

‘A real life hero’

Footballer Leah Williamson on presenting Beattie with the SPOTY Helen Rollason award

In moments like that, people like Jenny deserve to be spoken about in a certain way and with the right words.

I say she’s a real life hero. If anybody had been through [breast cancer], the amount of energy it would take from you and how much it would consume you, you might just want to forget about it once it was over and move on and never think about it again. She chose not to, she chose to put herself out there to educate other people, to raise awareness, to do all these things.

She had to be willing to do that and she was. It was her decision, no-one forced her to do that. She just wanted to have a greater impact.

We spoke about it and said that no-one wants to be the perspective, but she had an opportunity to be that for everybody else.

‘I knew I was going to be in for a tough game’

Jill Scott, former WSL opponent

I first met her when we played against each other in an FA Cup final, she must have been about 16 at the time.

I was playing for Everton and she was at Arsenal, and we played against each other in central midfield. She was a very good player, very tall, very aggressive and I knew I was going to be in for a tough game.

She’s a warrior. I know how much work she’s been doing to try make it better for people moving forward.

She’s probably saved so many lives without even knowing.

I think the word legend is thrown about too often these days but if there’s anybody that deserves the accolades of icon, of legend, it’s Jen Beattie.

‘She wants to make everyone feel welcome’

Rachel Corsie, former Scotland team-mate

What I was thinking about my go-to when we first played together [for Scotland] was Jen being the DJ. She’s always good for the music. I liked her tunes.

Fast forward a little bit from that, she was in the leadership group in the national team. She is someone who, I think very naturally, wants to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable. That’s where her kind nature would come across the best.

You always hope that when you retire from international football that it’s on your terms and I think she was really at peace with that and felt good about that. She really did feel it was the right time for her and that’s not something everyone has the chance [to decide].