Hampden to be new home of Scotland women's team with 10% annual increase in pro players targeted

Scotland will play all their women’s internationals at Hampden Park instead of grounds around the country to “inspire” further growth in the game.

It is part of a new five-year plan launched by the Scottish FA in conjunction with European football’s governing body Uefa.

The SFA aims to increase the number of professional players by 10% per year.

Head of women’s football Fiona McIntyre told BBC Radio Scotland: “We’re confident we can meet that target.”

Celtic and Rangers became full-time professional clubs last season as they looked to challenge Glasgow City’s dominance of the Scottish Women’s Premier League.

“The growth in the last five years has been really significant,” McIntyre said. “We’ve gone from one or two professional players to the 70-plus that we have now.

“We understand the clubs and league’s ambition and the direction they want to go in.”

A new Scotland Under-23 side is also to be introduced as part of the changes to be made in an effort to help young players make the step into the full national side.

The SFA was selected by Uefa as one of six national associations to build a new strategy for growth from grassroots to elite level.

“Accelerate Our Game” has been published 24 hours after the SFA ended a seven-month wait to replace Shelley Kerr by appointing Bordeaux’s Pedro Martinez Losa as the new national head coach.

Hampden is to become the permanent base for the national team, with all home matches of the forthcoming Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign to be held there.

The SFA is aiming to “qualify consistently and compete at major tournaments”, “increase crowds by 10% annually” and to “double commercial revenues”

It is also aiming to increase participation and have more than 25,000 registered players by 2025.

There are currently 17,241, with numbers having grown 17% following the 2019 World Cup – the largest growth being among the under-seven to under-11 age group.

 

‘Playing at Hampden is huge – it’s about visibility’

Scotland goalkeeper Lee Alexander

For us to now have the national home for our games is huge. For me, its a really proud moment.

I was really fortunate to play in the Jamaica game and it was incredible to get a record crowd. To be playing at the home of Scottish Football, that’s all you want and you want kids to be able to see that.

Its all about the visibility. As a young girl, I would come to Hampden and watch the men’s national team. For a young girl or a young boy to look and see the women’s national team are here as well that is huge.

Original article 22.07.21 on the BBC Sport website

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