First Minister John Swinney admits women’s football in Scotland has been ‘neglected’ – and says the Scottish Government will ‘evaluate’ its investment in the game after the success enjoyed by England’s Lionesses.
Sarina Wiegman’s side stormed to a historic victory in the European Championships on Sunday, beating world champions Spain 3-1 on penalties.
Their achievement is being widely regarded as the ‘greatest ever’ in English football, after the women defended their crown and became the first English national side to win a major tournament on foreign soil.
The Scotland women’s team, meanwhile, were left watching on from the sidelines after failing to qualify for the tournament.
First Minister Swinney told Mail Sport the women’s game in Scotland had ‘not been encouraged as much as it should have been in the past’ and insisted there was now an ‘arguable case’ for the Scottish Government to invest.
‘I am certainly very supportive of encouraging and nurturing the women’s game,’ he told Mail Sport.
First Minister John Swinney talks to Mail Sport’s Heather Dewar at the opening of Donald Trump’s new golf course in Aberdeenshire on Tuesday
England’s Lionesses won the Euros, a tournament for which Scotland failed to qualify
Agony for Scottish players as they lose European play-off in Finland in December 2024
‘I was at the Women’s Scottish Cup final in May. It was a super game of football. I’ve seen lots of games of men’s football and they were not nearly as good as that. So there is an arguable case for us to invest, and obviously we’ll do as much as we can within the resources that we have available.’
Asked if the Scottish Government might put more money into the pot to help Scotland qualify for the upcoming World Cup, the First Minister said he wouldn’t rule anything out.
‘Subject to the usual caveats I have to put in, that we’ve got budgets to set and budgets to live with, I want to be as supportive as I possibly can be. Because the women’s game, it has been neglected, it has not been encouraged as much as it should have been in the past.
‘There have been some tenacious women that have made the game what it is today, and I want to do everything I can to support it.’
In 2019, the Scottish Government were forced to step in after Scotland qualified for the World Cup finals in France, committing £80,000 funding to enable the team to train full-time.
While this undoubtedly helped prior to the era of professional women’s football in Scotland, there have been recent calls for more investment, to support both the SFA and the leagues in their abilities to grow the game.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, who joined Mr Swinney at the opening of Donald Trump’s new golf course in Aberdeenshire yesterday, said it was up to the Scottish Government to decide whether or not to provide money for women’s football.
‘If you look at the story of the Lionesses, I think there is an affinity and an interest across the UK,’ he said.
Andreatta’s Scots earned an impressive 1-1 draw away to the Netherlands in June
The Scotland team pose proudly ahead of their match with Austria at Hampden in May
‘It’s perhaps safe to say maybe the same levels of sympathy don’t exist in the men’s game. I think the Lionesses have been a great advert for women’s football.
‘Women’s football is really, really popular and growing in Scotland, and so what this Government does choose or doesn’t choose to do, is for them.
‘What I’m clear about is that if we are successful next year, then I want to make sure we are maximising participation in sport. Women’s football will be a key part of that. That’s something we’ll definitely take a look at.’
The last time the Scots qualified for a major tournament was the Women’s World Cup in 2019.
It was hoped they would learn from the process but Scotland have failed to qualify for the last three major competitions and are now in a period of transition under new manager Melissa Andreatta.
The Scots now have their sights set on qualifying for the World Cup in Brazil in 2027.
