Goal is to get girls into football
Julie says youngsters can have a ball playing the beautiful game
She’s Scotland’s record goalscorer with well over 100 goals and has represented her country more than 120 times.
So it’s no real surprise that striker Julie Fleeting is still regarded as our most prominent and prolific female footballer.
What may be surprising is how she became one of the boys to hone those early skills on the pitch as a kid.
Julie, 37, was just nine when her fledgling career began at Cunninghame Boys Club in Kilwinning after being asked to tag along by boys at her school.
It was the start of a journey that saw her go on to star for the likes of San Diego Spirit, Arsenal Ladies and Glasgow City.
However, Julie, from Kilwinning, Ayrshire, is glad there are far more opportunities for female players of all ages now than there was when she was just starting out.
She said: “For me, it was all about playing on the street with my friends. At that time, I never ever thought I would play with a team.
“I was about nine when the boys in my class asked me if I wanted to come along and play football with them so I played for Cunninghame Boys Club.
“I played with the boys until I was about 13 and then I had to find a girls’ team. They were few and far between compared to what it’s like nowadays.
“There are girls from wee tots all the way through to national level playing football, as well as people working full-time every day going into schools and clubs.
“There was absolutely none of that at all back when I started playing.”
Football has always been a family affair for Julie.
Her dad, Jim Fleeting, is a former player, manager and Scottish FA director of coaching and she’s married to Rangers goalkeeping coach Colin Stewart.
The couple have three daughters, Ella, eight, Sophia, six, and one-year-old Matilda – and it looks like at least one of their girls could follow in mum and dad’s footsteps.
Julie said: “My oldest daughter couldn’t be more different to me as a child and does gymnastics, ice skating and dancing.
“She was brought up with football – she used to travel with me when I was with the national team – but she’s got absolutely no interest in playing.
“My middle daughter has just started playing football and plays for Kilwinning Sports Club. She’s just like I was at that age.
“Like Ella, Sophia went to gymnastics, dancing and ice skating. When she started to question whether she wanted to go, I asked if she’d like to go to football and she said yes.
“The two girls are very different and I just want them to find something they enjoy doing.
“I got an awful lot out of football. As well as loving football itself, I loved meeting up with friends, the dressing room environment, the social side of it and the travel.
“Whether you go on and play for your national team or not, you can still learn an awful lot and gain qualities that can help you in other walks of life.”
The Scottish FA’s dedicated Girls’ Soccer Centres, presented