Bettinson was born in Millom, Cumberland and declined to sign a contract with Workington Town as a teenager. Five years later, after national service and teacher training, Bettinson was offered a contract by Salford and made his debut against Batley the same day he signed his contract - 9 March 1957. He played 319 games for Salford between 1957 and 1969 including a period as captain. Bettinson appeared for the Cumberland county side on seven occasions between 1957 and 1967 during which Cumberland won the County Championship twice.[2]
After retiring from playing he became the club's assistant coach, later becoming head coach; a post he held between 1973 and 1977. Under his leadership Salford won two championships (1973–74 and 1975–76) and won the BBC2 Floodlit Trophy in 1975–76. After his resignation he joined the board of directors of Salford and remained on the board until 1991.[2]
He would later be team manager for Great Britain during the 1988 tour to Australasia and would publish a book In the Lions' Den: The Rebirth of Great Britain in Rugby League. He was the inaugural President of the Rugby Football League (RFL), and has been chair of the coaching committee.
On 11 September 2021, it was confirmed by the Salford Red Devils club that Bettinson had died aged 86.[3]
Referencesedit
^Morris, Graham (2001). 100 Greats: Salford Rugby League Club. Stroud: Tempus. pp. 14–15. ISBN978-0-7524-2196-4.
^ ab"Les Bettinson". Rugby League Journal. No. 77. November 2021. p. 30.
^"RFL pays tribute to Les Bettinson". www.rugby-league.com. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
bettinson, leslie, james, bettinson, 1935, september, 2021, english, professional, rugby, league, footballer, coach, administrator, personal, informationfull, nameleslie, james, bettinsonborn1934, 1935millom, cumberland, englanddied9, september, 2021, aged, pl. Leslie James Bettinson c 1935 10 September 2021 was an English professional rugby league footballer coach and administrator Les BettinsonPersonal informationFull nameLeslie James BettinsonBorn1934 or 1935Millom Cumberland EnglandDied9 September 2021 aged 86 Playing informationPositionFullback CentreClub Years Team Pld T G FG P 1957 69 Salford 319 75 10 245 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1957 67 Cumberland 7 0 0 21Coaching informationClub Years Team Gms W D L W 1973 77 SalfordSource 1 Bettinson was born in Millom Cumberland and declined to sign a contract with Workington Town as a teenager Five years later after national service and teacher training Bettinson was offered a contract by Salford and made his debut against Batley the same day he signed his contract 9 March 1957 He played 319 games for Salford between 1957 and 1969 including a period as captain Bettinson appeared for the Cumberland county side on seven occasions between 1957 and 1967 during which Cumberland won the County Championship twice 2 After retiring from playing he became the club s assistant coach later becoming head coach a post he held between 1973 and 1977 Under his leadership Salford won two championships 1973 74 and 1975 76 and won the BBC2 Floodlit Trophy in 1975 76 After his resignation he joined the board of directors of Salford and remained on the board until 1991 2 He would later be team manager for Great Britain during the 1988 tour to Australasia and would publish a book In the Lions Den The Rebirth of Great Britain in Rugby League He was the inaugural President of the Rugby Football League RFL and has been chair of the coaching committee On 11 September 2021 it was confirmed by the Salford Red Devils club that Bettinson had died aged 86 3 References edit Morris Graham 2001 100 Greats Salford Rugby League Club Stroud Tempus pp 14 15 ISBN 978 0 7524 2196 4 a b Les Bettinson Rugby League Journal No 77 November 2021 p 30 RFL pays tribute to Les Bettinson www rugby league com 10 September 2021 Retrieved 12 September 2021 Sporting positions Preceded byCliff Evans 1970 1973 Coach nbsp Salford Red Devils1973 1977 Succeeded byColin Dixon 1978 nbsp This English rugby league football biography is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Les Bettinson amp oldid 1100038680, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
