LAST week was a pretty disappointing week for women’s football in Scotland. It was confirmed by the Scottish Women’s Football League (SWFL) committee that, due to Covid-19 restrictions, the rest of the season is cancelled.
This must have been an extremely difficult decision for those in charge, and so difficult for those who enjoy their football to accept.
It was great to read that everyone was in agreement, however, no matter what tier they were in.
My hope is that for the start of the 2021 season, which for the women’s game will be late February, we will be in a stronger position in the fight against the pandemic and that they can get through the fixtures without too many cancellations.
There was also angst all round when Scotland lost out on a chance to be at the Uefa Women’s Euro 2022 in England, due to a last-minute goal from Finland at Easter Road.
There is no doubt that Scotland were dominant and by all accounts should have won, but that little rub of the green just didn’t materialise.
This is a sore one for the players and staff to take after the amazing performances throughout the tournament.
We’ve got pretty used to the idea that the women’s team will qualify under Shelley Kerr and as they continue to improve their performance, game by game.
Shelley had to self-isolate for the last two games and could not be there in person to ensure that all plans were put into action.
While she had full confidence in her support staff and her assistant coach, Andy Thomson, this disruption to the team dynamics may just have had an impact. So like everyone else who is looking forward to saying goodbye to 2020 and hello to 2021, that has to be the focus for the women’s national team.
They must look forward and get back to winning ways in order to qualify for the Women’s World Cup, which will be co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia.
The final tournament will start on July 10, 2023, and be and will be played across 12 cities in both countries leading up the final on August 20 in western Sydney at the 2000 Olympic Stadium.
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