Andrew Watson - Footballer and Entrepreneur
Andrew Watson was born on the 24th May 1856 in Demerara, a region in the then British colony of British Guiana (present-day Guyana). His father was the wealthy Scottish sugar plantation owner Peter Miller Watson and his mother Hannah Rose was a British Guianese. When Andrew was a young child his father relocated his family to the UK. Andrew attended boarding schools in Yorkshire and London.
When his father passed away in 1869 Watson inherited the bulk of his father’s fortune making
He later went on to captain Scotland against Wales - thrashing Wales 5-1. During his footballing career Watson played for a number of English clubs.
During 1882 and 1883 he broke racial barriers again by becoming the first Mixed Race Black footballer to play in the English FA with the London club Swifts. Watson also played for, and captained the Corinthians another English club, and remarkably he helped Queens Park win the Scottish Cup in 1886 and 1887. Following his last matches with Queens Park Watson went on to sign with Liverpool club Bootle FC in 1887, the signing was said to be the “biggest coup in Merseyside,". Watson also captained Bootle FC, and although they didn't achieve major wins their performance greatly improved under his captaincy.
It's thought that throughout his career Watsons wealth and social status shielded him from experiencing overt racism and the ugly side of football. What also must have helped smooth his path is that he used his wealth to support the clubs he played for financially. He retired from football in 1910.
Andrew Watson died from pneumonia on the 8th March 1921 in London.
him an extremely wealthy thirteen year old. Watson inherited what is thought to be the equivalent - in 2025 - of three and a half million pounds. An extremely unusual situation for a Mixed-Race Black teenager in the mid-1800s.
He went on to attend the University of Glasgow in Scotland, though didn't finish his studies. Watson dropped out to sign for the football club (FC) Maxwell in Glasgow before moving to Parkgrove FC. Also alongside football Watson was an entrepreneur - he'd set up a wholesale business.
Watson captained Queen’s Park during two consecutive Glasgow Charity Cup wins in 1880 and 1881, becoming the first Mixed Race Black Scottish player to captain a team and win in a major UK competition. He also captained Scotland in a match against England - thrashing England 6-1, and making him the first Mixed Race Black Scottish player to captain an international team.
Watson back row third from right