‘Just go for it’, young stars told by writer

MEETING: Nicola Sturgeon and writer Val McDermid urge women to achieve their dreams in life

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and crime writer Val McDermid have shared their secrets of success with young Fife footballers.

Mrs Sturgeon joined McDermid in conversation at Stark’s Park in Kirkcaldy to speak about what they have learned on the way to the top of their respective fields.

They also met some of the players from Raith Rovers Women and Girls FC and took part in a question and answer session at the stadium.

McDermid said her parents played a significant role in encouraging her to aim high.

“I think the thing is to hold on to your dreams. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do things,” she said.

“When I grew up there were always people ready to tell me that people like us don’t do things like this.

“But I was lucky, I came from a family where my parents encouraged me.

“He (my dad) taught me that I could be anybody I wanted to be if I put my mind to it.

“So you just have to ignore people that tell you you can’t do things, that people like us don’t do things like this and just go for it.”

Around 130 women and girls, from under-nines to adults, play for Raith. And following the recent Women’s World Cup, more young girls have wanted to get involved in the game.

McDermid, a Rovers supporter and former director of the club, said there had been a “sea change” in women’s sport. “There was no real high profile sport for women when I was little except for Wimbledon,” she said.

“That was the only time you ever really saw women out there in front of the camera. And that was such a niche sport.

“There was no real image of successful women in sport and in many other fields there was no template you could aim at and say, ‘I want to be like her’.

“We had equal opportunities legislation in the 1970s and that was only the first brick in the wall of lifting women up and women lifting themselves up to a higher level in all different fields.

“Now women are demonstrating that women’s sport can be just as exciting as men’s sport and in fact in some respects, even more exciting.”

She described women’s football as “less agricultural” than the men’s game, adding: “In general there’s skill and technique because there isn’t that physicality. You can’t rely on just pushing people out the way.”

Raith Rovers Women are in the SWFL Division One – North league.

Squad member Tiffani Easton, 24, said she grew up with football but it was not always easy to find a girls’ team to join.

“I always played in primary school with the boys,” she said.

“When I was younger there wasn’t really much football going about. You could play in the boys’ team until 13 then you had to find a first team.”

Easton said she would like to go into football coaching in the future.

I think the thing is to hold on to your dreams. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do things.

VAL MCDERMID