The Scotsman

‘Women’s football no longer the poor relation. Girls now have role models’

- Commentary Nicola Sturgeon

2 Touchdown: Members of the triumphant Scotland squad pose for a picture at Edinburgh Airport yesterday on their return from Albania. Above: Jane Ross, who scored the winning goal to seal World Cup qualificat­ion. Right: Caroline Weir was in demand for media interviews.

Twenty years have passed since Scottish footballer­s last took part in a World Cup finals tournament.

Craig Brown’s team ultimately came home too soon after being knocked out in the group stage – a familiar story over the years – and no Scottish team has since performed on the biggest stage of all.

But now, thanks to the efforts of the women’s national team, that long wait is coming to an end.

Next year, we will take our place alongside the elite of the women’s game at the championsh­ips in France – ironically, the same host nation as in 1998, the last time our men’s team made it to the finals.

As Patron of the team, I want to say how proud I am of their achievemen­t. Huge congratula­tions are due to Shelley Kerr and the whole squad after clinching their place with a fine away win over Albania on Tuesday.

And while it may be the first time that Scotland’s women have qualified for the World Cup, this week’s historic events are the culminatio­n of a long journey.

Women’s football has been on a steady upward curve in Scotland for the last few years.

More girls and women are playing the game than ever before, and there is rising interest among fans too, with many of the national team’s home games drawing very healthy-sized crowds.

That is part of a wider internatio­nal trend, where women’s football is no longer seen as the poor relation of the men’s game.

Many countries have seen a surge in popularity, with the most recent women’s World Cup in Canada in 2015 drawing some huge attendance­s.

That is the kind of stage our girls can look forward to in France next year – it is their chance to shine in front of a global TV audience.

The vast majority of the Scotland squad are full-time profession­als – but most of them are also playing their club football in other countries, outside Scotland.

It would be great if one of the legacies of qualifying for the World Cup was that it allowed the women’s game to grow further here in Scotland to the point where more of our top players were home-based.

I’m pleased to see that the powers that be at the SFA believe that reaching the finals can help generate more resources for the women’s game.

And there is no doubt that young girls across the country now have footballin­g role models in the way that their male peers have had for generation­s.

I was proud to be in the Netherland­s last summer to watch Scotland at last year’s European Championsh­ips.

The whole nation will be willing them on next year in France. Ryan Giggs is preparing for Wales to enter the unknown against a Denmark side consisting of lower-league and futsal players.

Denmark’s preparatio­ns for their Uefa Nations League opener against Wales in Aarhus on Sunday are in chaos following a dispute between the Danish Football Associatio­n and their Players’ Associatio­n.

The Danes are set to field an uncapped scratch side of third-tier and futsal players, the latter being an indoor five-a-side game played with a harder and smaller ball.

The Denmark turmoil has overshadow­ed Giggs’ first home game as Wales manager – their inaugural Nations League tie against the Republic of Ireland in Cardiff tonight.

“What sort of team we’re going to face I don’t know,” said Giggs. “There’s a bit of me that thinks they’ll sort it out, but every day that looks more and more unlikely. But I’ve got a big game against Ireland first and all my concentrat­ion is on that.”

Denmark are ranked ninth in the world and reached the last 16 of the World Cup in Russia this summer. But players like Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen and Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel are set to sit out the Wales game because of a row over the players’ commercial rights. Instead, Denmark have named a squad of part-time players drawn

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