Following on from High Schools march an interesting photo appeared in todays Herald picturing a young Beattie pictured in front of the rugby posts at New Anniesland clutching a round ball


The Herald reports

Beattie has pedigree to be a sporting success

NEIL DRYSDALE May 05 2008
Jennifer Beattie might not quite have started her sporting life as early as Tiger Woods or Lewis Hamilton, but the 16-year-old Glaswegian can't remember a time when she wasn't carrying a racquet or kicking a ball.

As the daughter of the former Scotland and British Lions rugby player, John, whose son, Johnnie, has already represented his country in the same sport, nobody should be surprised that Jennifer has rapidly gained five senior caps for the SWFA's finest, nor that she has a natural athleticism and pace which stamp her out as one of the new breed of Scottish female footballers.

In the past, enthusiasm may have occasionally compensated for genuine talent, but no longer. Between Beattie and Kim Little, the 17 year-old from Aberdeen, who recently signed for Arsenal and scored one of her side's title-clinching goals at the Emirates Stadium, here is the emergence of a brace of individuals with the capacity to reach the very heights of their vocation.

advertisementFirst, however, there are exams to study for and Highers to pursue, amidst her footballing exploits with Celtic and Scotland. On Saturday, Beattie scored the opening goal for the latter, as the prelude to Julie Fleeting adding a hat-trick during the Scots' terrific 4-1 victory over Portugal in a European Championship qualifying match. But today, it will be back to the library.

"I've taken a lot of time out of school during the last couple of years, and I was over in Cyprus and Slovenia with the Scotland under-19 squad last summer, but you have to strike the right balance and I'm taking my Highers very seriously, because they will give me a safety net if I can pass them," said Beattie.

"Our dad has taught us sport isn't the be-all and end-all and told us to concentrate on school and work hard in class. My brother is doing a university degree - he deferred it for a year, but fully intends to finish it - and he has his head screwed on, because you can be as competitive as you like, but if you pick up a bad injury, who knows what might happen?"

An intelligent, focused figure, who admits that she was astonished to receive her Scotland senior call-up so swiftly, Beattie nonetheless adheres to the philosophy that if you're good enough, you're old enough.

Considering the pedigree in her genes, it isn't remotely surprising that the Scottish national coach, Anna Signeul, has plucked her from the youth ranks and inserted her straight into the heart of the senior set-up.

For some teenagers, this might create pressure and induce butterflies, but anybody who remembers John Beattie, snr, in his pomp, will appreciate that this family doesn't go a bundle on buckling under alleged stresses and strains.

"Anna Signeul is very much in the same mould: she acknowledges that we have to gain an education, but she is a terrific motivator, she is doing her best to establish a system where the best youngsters can be fast-tracked to the top and we really do feel we can go places in the next few seasons," said Beattie.

"We have to tackle the leading teams and be in the mix for reaching European Championships and World Cups and I know, from having spoken to Kim, while following in her footsteps, whilst we were advancing through the under-15s and the under-17s, that our twin ambition is to see the Scots qualify for a World Cup somewhere down the line.

"Of course, it won't be easy - women's football is one of the fastest-growing pastimes on the planet - but we now have youngsters such as Kim going to Arsenal, who have won the English Premier League for the past five years and that is a huge development."

Indeed, the SWFA have pioneered a raft of initiatives designed to encourage a stream of teenagers towards the big time, and with Celtic now thriving on the club circuit, and talk of Rangers emulating their example in the future, there is no reason why Signeul's personnel cannot achieve their objectives.

"Beating Portugal was an excellent result and these are the days where we can make other European nations take notice of us. Several girls in our squad have gone to the US and to England and they are raising their game in the process. The next step is for Scotland to be challenging in the big tournaments.

It might not occur immediately, but I'm convinced it will happen."

That's another thing about the Beattie clan.

In common with Queen Victoria, they have never been interested in the possibilities of defeat.

This article was posted on 5-May-2008, 06:50 by Hugh Barrow.