Buckie Ladies' triumphs highlight growing strength of Highlands and Islands League
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SCOTTISH Women's Football believes the Highlands and Islands League is continuing to grow all the time – with a new title sponsor in place and at least one new team set to enter the division in 2024.
The league had something of a false start, only completing one season before Covid-19 brought a halt to the competition.
Even in that first year, a Western Isles team looked on course to become the inaugural champions only to pull out half way through the year for logistical reasons.
Since returning in 2021, though, progress has been much smoother. There are still challenges, like the withdrawal of Brora Rangers part-way through the 2023 season, but SWF chief executive officer Aileen Campbell is confident things are moving in the right direction.
"I think the big thing is that there is lots of growth and optimism, but there is still a need to find resilience and sustainability in the game – not just in the Highlands, but across the whole country," Campbell said.
"We're really pleased that with a new sponsor and with new clubs looking to join the league, it will strengthen that league and help grow the game across the Highlands.
"They will enable us to dedicate more time and resources to help, and we will work with clubs to increase their profile and visibility, because we want to make sure that girls across the Highlands know that football is absolutely a sport for them.
"We're really keen and pleased as an organisation within that wider football landscape that we're dedicated to ensuring there are opportunities across the country – regardless of where you live.
"The game that we run in Scottish Women's Football has that geographic spread and reach that others don't currently have, so we're really proud to deliver that and pleased that we have a first-time league sponsor for the Highlands and Islands League in Scottish Power. Hopefully that will leave a lasting legacy."
While some teams have left the Highlands and Islands League, others have joined.
Buckie are one of them, dropping down from the SWFL to win back-to-back doubles over the last two seasons.
Campbell believes that has been part of the teething process in early years, with clubs figuring out which path and level is right for them.
"They have absolutely found the level for them," she added.
"There have been some changes to the regional football leagues as well, where we have shifted that back to align with our two top leagues which means there are promotion opportunities.
"The regional football leagues also offer that chance for women to gather and play football in a space that's right for them.
"If they have higher aspirations and want to progress as a club, there is a route for them to do that.
"As a result of that, those leagues have grown. We have an extra regional league this season, with more teams taking part and more teams coming and using that as the entry level to progress. Hopefully we see that continue.
"There are also other gaps geographically. We could have a similar conversation about the south of Scotland, where there are fewer teams as well.
"There's a lot of work to do, and a lot of way to go, but we're really pleased that what we've got at the moment is on an upwards trajectory."
Title sponsor Scottish Power's director of engagement, Hazel Gulliver, knows first hand why it is so important to back opportunities for women and girls to play sport.
She had to move abroad to play football on a regular basis, and says Scottish Power are committed to inclusion in and out of the work place.
"I was that wee girl at school who was in the headmaster's office demanding to play in the boys' team, because there was no girls' team," Gulliver explained.
"I never actually played in Scotland, it was only when I moved to Belgium that I discovered every village has a women's football team! I played there for 10 years and absolutely loved it.
"We started off getting trounced, but we made it to the first division of the women's amateur league, so we were really quite proud of ourselves.
"It's a shame I had to move abroad to get that opportunity, but that's why I'm so passionate about giving girls and women the opportunity I never had. I'm a little jealous, but also very proud to be able to support it at the same time.
"My partner's daughter has just started playing at Ross County, she's 11 and lives up at Bonar Bridge, and she's getting opportunities now through this partnership by complete coincidence that she would never have had otherwise.
"That would have been the best thing in my life, so I'm living through the girls of this generation, it's just fantastic.
"We have a whole plan about working and supporting the communities we operate in, so it's really important to us to give people those opportunities where we can. This is the perfect chance to do that – it's number one value for us basically."
