New Year's Honours: Andy Robertson, Jen Beattie, Kim Little & Dave Ferguson get MBEs
- Published
Kim Little, Andy Robertson and Jen Beattie have all been recognised in the New Year Honours List
Three Scotland international footballers have been awarded MBEs in the New Year's Honours List.
Arsenal's Jen Beattie has been honoured for services to football and charity, having campaigned for breast cancer screening.
Teammate Kim Little has also received the award, having scored 59 goals in 140 caps and been to two Olympics.
And Liverpool defender Andy Robertson has been recognised for services to football, charity and young people.
The Scotland men's captain has won 60 caps, plus the Premier League title, FA Cup, League Cup and the Champions League with Liverpool.
Among Robertson's charitable work, the 28-year-old Glaswegian has established the AR26 Charity to help underprivileged children in Scotland.
Capped 143 times, Scotland defender Beattie has recovered from breast cancer after being diagnosed in October 2020.
She received the Helen Rollason BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 2021 after speaking publicly about her experiences and encouraging people to get checked.
"It's unbelievable," said Beattie. "When you go through your career, you never expect to be recognised amongst such incredible names, you just never put yourself in that category. I'm beyond proud. It's something I never even dreamed of or expected, it's just an incredible feeling."
Little's first Scotland appearance was as a 16-year-old against Japan in February 2007 and she went on to represent her country as a scoring midfielder for almost 15 years before announcing her international retirement.
She was PFA Women's Player's Player of the Year in 2013 and the BBC Women's Footballer of the Year in 2016.
And Beattie added: "To be on the list in the same year is actually just a really special moment. She's (Little's) one of my longest friends in football and I'm so proud of her, it's fully deserved."
Dave Ferguson has also been awarded an MBE for for services to squash.
The 65-year-old stalwart of the Waverley club in Edinburgh's south side has been a player, administrator, referee and coach, developing players at all levels.