Ride the wave of Euro delight

Scots must invest in game after England joy

WHEN Scotland’s Women’s team last appeared on the elite stage at the World Cup in 2019, there was a clear spike in the numbers which followed.

There was a jump of just over 20 per cent in terms of registered female footballers at clubs across the country. In the grassroots game, participation levels also increased.

Fast-forward to the present day and, at club level, women’s football in Scotland is in rude health as the new season gets set to kick-off next weekend.

Scotland now has three clubs — Rangers, Celtic and Glasgow City — who operate on a full-time professional basis.

The game is as competitive now as it’s ever been, with Rangers winning last season’s title to end 14 years of Glasgow City dominance.

If there is a feelgood factor in women’s football just now on the back of the scenes at Wembley on Sunday, then it is only right that Scotland should look to capitalise on that.

Aileen Campbell, the chief executive of Scottish Women’s Football (SWF), has urged the SFA to do all they can to make sure young girls across the country are given every opportunity to get involved.

England’s victory over Germany in the final of the Euros was watched by a peak audience of 17.4million people, making it the most-watched TV event of the year so far.

With just over 87,000 fans crammed inside Wembley, it was an event which transcended rivalries and made you realise just how far women’s football has come.

Urging the SFA to make the most of this opportunity, Campbell said: ‘People are saying that hopefully we can capitalise on this in Scotland. But we can’t just leave it to hope.

‘We can’t afford to just hope that this has an impact and a knock-on effect in Scotland. The SFA have to be doing all they can to make sure that becomes a reality for our own national team.

‘It’s not often you have a massive, showpiece event like the Euros on your doorstep. These past few weeks have been massive for increasing the visibility of women’s football.

‘We all need to be pro-active in this and we need to invest in women’s football, continue to grow the game, and continue to give young girls an opportunity.

‘For many decades in the past, girls have been denied these kind of opportunities. We need to make amends for that and events like the Euros can help turbo-charge the growth of the game in Scotland.

‘Visibility is critical. Especially in women’s sport, you need to see role models. Ultimately, if you can’t see it, you can’t be it.

‘The scenes we’ve seen inside stadiums over the past few weeks, the numbers of people going to the games, the number of people watching on TV — that’s all so powerful.

‘You can guarantee that watching the Euros will have piqued the interest of lots of girls across the country here in Scotland.

‘A lot of them will want to start playing football. It’s incumbent on everyone involved in Scottish football to make sure they get that opportunity.

‘Investment is, of course, a key factor in all of this. We need to make sure we capitalise on all of this in Scotland.’

December of last year marked the 100-year anniversary of the English FA banning women from playing football, with the SFA following suit.

Shamefully, it was then 50 years until that ban was lifted in 1971. Scotland effectively missed out on an entire generation of female footballers.

Rose Reilly would probably be the most prominent example, the striker who moved to Italy and chose to represent the Italian national team.

So, from women being banned from football 100 years ago to now being watched on TV by over 17m people, it is illustrative of a sport which continues to smash new boundaries. The SWF helps run the women’s game in Scotland alongside the SFA and SPFL, but operates autonomously. Campbell (pictured) believes the English FA are the benchmark with the way in which they have helped drive the growth in their women’s national team. ‘It’s just over the 100-year anniversary since the FA’s ban on women playing football,’ she said. ‘That ban was also felt in Scotland. ‘For many decades, there was a lack of support and investment. The women’s game has always been playing catch-up. ‘The English FA are to be commended for their strategic approach in the way they have built women’s football and their national team over many years. ‘This hasn’t just happened overnight. These things don’t happen by accident. They require time and investment. We need to make sure the investment is there to support the women’s game. We want to work with the SFA and the SPFL in helping to achieve that.

‘We need the SFA to really harness this opportunity to grow the game, invest in women’s football, and capitalise on this. Otherwise, the success we’ve seen in England won’t happen here.

‘But this can’t just be about the women on the pitch. There also needs to be greater diversity off the pitch.

‘We need to see more women in key positions who have an ability to play an important role in the decision-making process and help drive that change.

‘As the governing body, the SFA are the ones in receipt of public resources and from sportscotland. They also have that leadership role and influence where they can fight to help increase that funding.

‘We are a small organisation in comparison and we operate autonomously from the SFA. But we’re doing all we can. Everyone has a part to play in this.

‘We want to continue working in partnership with the SFA and SPFL. We’ve already suggested that we have a working group that brings all three bodies together.’