Ex-England player and football speaker Dave Beasant has enjoyed a long and prolific career, starting in the late 1970’s Beasant competed consistently until the 2000’s. With nine years spent at Wimbledon and four years at fellow London club Chelsea, Beasant was one of the most revered goalkeepers of his era.
Nicknamed “Lurch” for his height and playing style, Beasant broke records by becoming the first goalkeeper to save a penalty kick in an FA Cup Final; thanks partly to this save Beasant found himself part of the 1988 FA Cup winning Wimbledon team who shocked audiences and bookies around the UK with their victory.
A well-travelled player, Beasant represented a number of clubs playing in almost every decision of English Football from the Premier Leagueall the way through to the Combined Counties League. Beasant also received two International caps for England during a career that spanned over three decades. Beasant’s last game for Wimbledon would happen to be the famous FA Cup victory, he went on to join Newcastle for what at the time was a record British transfer fee for a goalkeeper. However, his time at the Tyneside club was short and ill-fated as the Magpies struggled and were finally relegated from the First Division in bottom place resulting in yet another transfer, this time to Chelsea.
A bizarre and peculiar event in which Beasant dropped a two-litre bottle of salad cream onto his foot resulting in an injury that would see him side-lined for eight weeks saw the end of his career at Chelsea. This outlandish event led to a move to Southampton, Beasant soon regained his best form and it did not take him long to become a favourite among fans and in 1995 Beasant was named the Club’s Player of the Year. His career saw him play for a number of other clubs after leaving Southampton, most notably Nottingham Forest where he enjoyed four seasons.
Now retired Beasant works as a sports speaker on the UK after dinner speaker circuit. Before becoming a football speaker Beasant spent several years as a goalkeeping coach; beginning as the coach for Fulham FCbefore his retirement Beasant went on to work for the Northern Ireland national team. Further coaching roles followed as Beasant joined Bristol Roversand Stevenage as goalkeeping coach before being appointed as goalkeeping coach at Reading in 2015.
Drawing on his immense experience as both a player and as part of the managerial staff Dave Beasant provides engaging and entertaining presentations as an after-dinner speaker; unlike many football speakers Beasant has experienced life on both sides of the changing room and as such has an intimate and rare insight into the inner workings of the British football industry.
What remains most impressive about Beasant is his determination and dedication, reaching the milestone of oldest player in the British Premier League, Beasant was the only player with a birth date that fell before 1960 when he played as part of the Fulham team in the 2003/04 season. This achievement and record showcases and personifies the true meaning of longevity within sport as Beasant attained an accomplishment that is unheard of. The enormity of his career, coupled with his experience over a number of clubs have provided Beasant with an abundance of fascinating and insightful stories to share with his audience as a sports speaker, he is consistently admired and often requested for corporate events and specialist sports productions. A true stalwart in the footballing world, Dave Beasant is available to be a football speaker at your event.
