Guest columnist Scottish Sports Minister Joe FitzPatrick: “I sensed a genuine euphoria in the country when the Scottish women qualified”

Joe FitzPatrick is the Minister for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing and the MSP for Dundee City West.

In this guest article for Prost International, he writes about how the qualification by the Scottish Women for the World Cup finals in France can change things for women’s and girl’s sport in Scotland.

By Joe FitzPatrick

Football is enormously important to Scotland – it’s our national game – and we have seen an incredible increase in interest in women and girls’ football in recent years.

The number of women and girls playing the game has increased significantly, with registered players doubling in five years to more than 12,500. That does not include those who play football at school, or the many women and girls not registered with clubs.

The domestic game is in good shape, with the recently relaunched Scottish Women’s Premier League going from strength to strength. And our clubs have also made their mark in European competition.

The Scotland women’s national team provides a powerful focus, and their success can inspire many more women and girls to start kicking a ball. That is one of the reasons why the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, is the proud patron of the team.

The team were led to a major tournament for the first time last year by Anna Signeul, qualifying for the UEFA European Championships.

Qualifying automatically for the FIFA World Cup next year is arguably a greater feat, and it can potentially have a bigger impact on the game and for women’s sport more generally across our country.

The Scottish Government was overjoyed and proud that the team qualified. I sensed a genuine euphoria in the country, too, and unprecedented media coverage for women’s football.

Many people – and not just fans of women’s football – were delighted for head coach Shelley Kerr, her staff and the players, and I am sure we’ll see many Scotland fans stage a friendly invasion of France next year to cheer on the team.

I hope our appearance at the World Cup will be transformational, not only for football but for women and girls sport across the country. The women are fantastic role models. They exemplify the power of sport and of football to deliver positive outcomes in physical and mental health.

And they also inspire girls and women to play sport, and to see football as a potential career or vocation. For far too long football has been viewed as a men’s game only, and I am delighted that is changing.

We work closely with the Scottish FA on women and girls’ football. It is a priority for us, and we fund the association to support its development. We have also announced additional funding for a bursary scheme which will ensure all members of the squad can go fulltime for six months ahead of the finals.

We are continuing to work in partnership to ensure we use the interest generated in the World Cup to encourage more women and girls to play football and take up sport, and to help strengthen the domestic game.

Women and girls’ football in Scotland is in good shape, and we’re determined to ensure the World Cup is the catalyst for further growth and success.

Also see: BBC Alba broadcaster Calum Ferguson on “A World Cup match made in heaven – Scotland’s women and the Gaelic language”