Governance
The Players Foundation aspires to uphold the highest standard of governance. The Board of Trustees have independent control over the administration and activities of the Charity. The Trustees have been appointed in accordance with the Memorandum and Articles of Association.
Brendon Batson OBE – Chairman
Brendon Batson OBE was signed as a schoolboy by Arsenal, and whilst at the club’s academy won the FA Youth Cup of 1971. 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. In all, he made 10 appearances for Arsenal before moving to Cambridge United in 1974. He spent four years at Cambridge, captaining the side to the Fourth Division Championship under manager Ron Atkinson in 1976–77. At Cambridge Batson made a total of 163 appearances and scored six goals altogether.
When Atkinson moved to 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 contemporary vocal trio of the same name, were pioneering, iconic and extremely popular with West Brom’s fans. This trio’s fame is to such an extent that in 2012 plans were put forward for a statue of which would honour 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.
He played 160 games for the Baggies before his career was cut short in 1982 by a serious knee injury.
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. 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.
Batson was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2001 New Year Honours and Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2015 New Year Honours, both for services to football.
Brendon was appointed to the board of Trustees of The Players Foundation in May 2012 and appointed as Chairman in 2021.
Gareth Griffiths
Gareth Griffiths played 14 years as a professional footballer in all leagues outside of the Premier League. Represented Wigan Athletic FC, and Rochdale AFC as club captain.
Whilst playing, he achieved a First Class Honours Degree and Post Graduate Certificate in Marketing. Gareth later qualified as a Financial Adviser and member of the Personal Finance Society and is affiliate of the Society for Trust and Estate Practitioners. He co-founded Pro Sport Wealth Management in 2009, an Independent Chartered Practice based in the North West.
Gareth spent 7 years as a delegate for The Professional Footballers’ Association and 4 years on the Management Committee, alongside his playing career.
Gareth was appointed to the board of Trustees of The Players Foundation in May 2012.
Martin Prothero
Garth Crooks OBE
Garth Crooks OBE has spent his entire adult life immersed in football and the politics of sport. Born in the Potteries of Jamaican parents he developed a love for the game and went on to play for his local team Stoke City and later moved to Tottenham Hotspur for a record fee in 1980. During his time at White Hart Lane he won the FA Cup in ’81 and ’82 followed by the UEFA Cup in ‘84. He went on to play for Manchester United, West Bromwich Albion and Charlton Athletic. In 1990 he retired from the game through injury having scored over 150 goals and in ’93 became a full time contributor to the BBC sports department.
While playing professional football Garth obtained a BSc Hon Degree in Social Science and Politics from North London University. He later went on to Kings College London to complete a Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Law. He was appointed the Chairman of the Professional Footballers’ Association in 1988 and later invited to Chair the Institute of Professional Sport and worked alongside its Patron HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in 1990, a position he held for thirteen years.
Appointed by two Secretaries of State to the English Sports Council, chaired the Football Foundation Grass Roots Advisory Panel (2000-5) and a budget of £65m per annum; a charity set up by Government in partnership with the Football Association and The Premier League, to fund grass roots football. Garth created and chaired the charity Sickle Cell Anaemia Relief (SCAR) in 1985, dedicated to raising funds for medical research under the direction of Dr Sally Davies. In 1999 he received the OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. Garth chaired the Premier League’s Equality Panel for several years and stepped down in 2022. He currently advises the PFA and the Premier League on their Professional Players Coaching Scheme, which is a joint initiative funded by both parties, and Chairs the Board of Governors at Capital City Academy.
Garth was appointed to the board of Trustees of The Players Foundation in May 2012.
Jonathan Walters
Jonathan made over 600 first team appearances across all four divisions in England, with ten years spent in the Premier League. He represented the Republic of Ireland on 54 occasions on the international stage and captained his country and various clubs during his career.
Jonathan has held various roles whilst playing and since retiring, including as a PFA club delegate, PFA Management Committee Board member and coaching within a Premier League Academy and at international level.
His most recent role was as Technical Director of Fleetwood Town and Waterford FC overseeing the multi-club model and football strategy. He left this role in Summer 2023
Jonathan was appointed to the board of Trustees in June 2022.
Harpreet Robertson
Harpreet Robertson has a wealth of experience of working in professional football for over 20 years.
Harpreet is currently Director of Player Management and Care at Red Berry Management, where she supports footballers and elite sporting professionals during and beyond their playing careers. She also works with the Football Supporters’ Association, building strong stakeholder relationships with Premier League Clubs and their supporter groups.
As a passionate advocate of diversity in the game, Harpreet sat on the Kick It Out Strategic Partner Advisory Board to advise and support its work tackling discrimination and driving positive change.
Harpreet spent 16 years at The Football Association where she held key positions such as the Head of Customer Relations and leading the England Supporters Club and Football Family. She worked closely with both the England men’s and women’s teams across ten UEFA Euro and FIFA World Cup tournaments.
Harpreet is a current Board Director at the Middlesex FA Community Football Centre, working to support the strategic direction of the facility and ensuring football remains accessible to every member of the community.
Rob Clare
Rob Clare is an experienced former professional footballer who played for Stockport County and Blackpool in the English Football League (EFL) and also made two appearances for the England Under 20 team.
Since retiring from the game in 2008, Rob has held a number of senior sporting roles, including the post of Commercial Manager at Stockport County, where he spent three years leading a team generating commercial income for the club and securing sponsorship for the Community Foundation.
For the last nine years, Rob has been working for the Laurus Trust, where he is currently the Sports and Community Development Director. The Laurus Trust is a Multi-Academy Trust, committed to providing exceptional education to its family of schools across Stockport, Manchester, Tameside and Cheshire East.
Rob is passionate about inclusivity and the need to nurture grassroots sport and in 2014 co-founded a new semi-professional football club, Stockport Town FC. This has provided unique opportunities for young talented footballers to showcase their skills, and many have since progressed to playing within the EFL.
As a Trustee at The Players Foundation, Rob brings with him a wealth of contacts across leading sporting organisations, including The Football Association, The Football Foundation, Sport England and the England and Wales Cricket Board. He is also a committee member of the Stockport County Players Association, which offers support to current and former players.