Most caps Gemma Fay (191) FIFA code SCO Highest 19 (March 2014) Captain Gemma Fay Location Scotland, United Kingdom | Top scorer Julie Fleeting (116) Current 21 (24 March 2017) Lowest 31 (March 2004) Head coach Anna Signeul Confederation UEFA (Europe) | |
Association Scottish Football Association | ||
The Scotland women's national football team represents Scotland in international women's football competitions. Since 1998, the team has been governed by the Scottish Football Association (SFA). Scotland has never participated in the FIFA Women's World Cup, but qualified for their first UEFA Women's Euro in 2017. The team is currently ranked 21st in the FIFA Women's World Rankings.
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History
Church documents recorded women playing football in Carstairs, Lanarkshire, in 1628. Scotland first played a women's international match in May 1881. Women's football struggled for recognition during this early period and was banned by the football authorities in 1921. Club sides who were interested in using their grounds for women's football were subsequently denied permission by the Scottish Football Association (SFA). The sport continued on an unofficial basis until the 1970s, when the ban was lifted. In 1971 UEFA instructed its members to take control of women's football within their territories. The motion was passed 31–1, but Scotland was the only member to vote against it. Football in Scotland has traditionally been seen as a working class and male preserve.
Scotland's first official match, a 3–2 defeat to England, took place in November 1972. The team was managed by Rab Stewart. The 1921 ban on women's football was lifted in 1974. The SFA assumed direct responsibility for Scottish women's football in 1998. Scotland have participated in most international competitions since the ban was removed, and reached their first major tournament finals when they qualified for UEFA Women's Euro 2017, where they were drawn against England, Spain and Portugal. The team's standing has improved significantly in recent years, reaching an all-time high of 19th place in the FIFA Women's World Rankings in March 2014.
World Cup
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.Olympics
Though Scotland has not previously qualified for the Summer Olympics since the women's football tournament was added in 1996, because the United Kingdom was host to the 2012 Summer Olympics, the Great Britain women's Olympic football team was founded and featured two players from Scotland: Kim Little and Ifeoma Dieke.
European Championship
Unofficial competition
Other tournaments
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.Media coverage
Scotland women's internationals have been televised by BBC Alba and broadcast by BBC Radio Scotland. BBC Radio Scotland presenter Tam Cowan was temporarily taken off the air in 2013, after he criticised the use of Fir Park for women's internationals in his Daily Record column. In a November 2013 interview with The Independent newspaper, Laura Montgomery of Glasgow City FC suggested that media coverage of women's football in Scotland often reflected sexist and misogynist attitudes. This is due to a preponderance of "stupid male journalists", according to Montgomery.
Stadium
The first official match played by the Scotland women's team was hosted by the Ravenscraig Stadium, an athletics facility in Greenock. The team now normally plays its home games at (men's) club stadiums. Venues used in recent years include Fir Park in Motherwell, Tynecastle Stadium in Edinburgh and St Mirren Park in Paisley. Hampden Park in Glasgow is the traditional home of the men's national team and is described by the Scottish Football Association as the National Stadium. A Scotland women's international was played at Hampden for the first time in October 2012, when it hosted the first leg of a European Championship qualifying playoff against Spain. Earlier in 2012, Hampden had hosted matches in the Olympic women's football tournament.
Players
Caps, goals, and recent players may not be current as the Scottish FA does not maintain an easily accessible database of historical statistics.
Current squad
The following players were named to the roster for the 2017 Cyprus Cup.
Recent players
The following players have been selected by Scotland in the past 12 months.
Honoured players
The SFA operates a roll of honour for every male player who has made more than 50 appearances for Scotland. However, female players are excluded from the list. The Scottish Football Museum operates a hall of fame based at Hampden Park, which is open to players and managers involved in Scottish football. 2007 entrant Rose Reilly is the only woman to be inducted so far. Sportscotland operates the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame, which has inducted some footballers, also including Reilly.
2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
Netherlands won 4–1 on aggregate and advanced to the playoff final.