Five Things we've Learned from this Season
As the dust settles on another dramatic season, we are taking stock of what 2023/24 has taught us about women's football in Scotland.
There we have it, the end of another incredible season in Scottish women’s football. But, before we take a short (well-deserved if you like us) break we wanted to take stock of some of the larger trends of the season. What have we seen that will impact next season? What has gone on this season that is worth taking note of? Where is the SWPL headed?
SWPL 2 continues to be SWPL-ing
Chaos has remained the brand of SWPL 2, with just ten teams and 50% of the league with the chance/risk of promotion/relegation it is a not a league for the faint hearted. Every team in the division averaged a goal a game, apart from Stirling University who still managed 0.75 per game while being relegated, the league average was 3.71 goals per game. Almost four goals scored in an average game! This parity and the back-to-back promotion of Montrose, coupled with Gartcairn and Livingston’s close runs at the same feat, have accelerated conversations about expanding the league. But, while it remains a league of 8 chaos will rule.
All of this is perfectly encapsulated by Gartcairn. Returning from the winter break on the 14th of January they had two points, they should have been too far gone. They should have been playing out their final games before relegation. What they did was bring in Kaela McDonald-Nguah, Erin Burns, and Jemma Hughes to bolster the attack. By the end of the season they would make up three of their four top scorers with McDonald-Nguah their top scorer in the league with ten. They won 29 points from their final 15 games. Potentially the most SWPL 2 achievement we’ll ever see. Anything you can imagine is already happening in SWPL 2, and that doesn’t look like changing anytime soon.
The Torch is Being Passed
Before we talk about the long term implications, we have to give those moving on their flowers. This season we have seen Rachel Harrison, Charlotte Gammie, Alana Marshall, Tammy-Lee Harkin, Joelle Murray, Aimee Ridgeway, et al step away from football for some much deserved Sundays with their feet up taking in the SWPL as a spectator rather than the spectacle. it’s not that surprising that we’re seeing this changing of the guard now with the increasing standards of the SWPL leading to more demanding schedules, more running, and kids that get better every season. Doesn’t make it any less emotional to say goodbye to some of the finest players that will ever grace Scottish football. As the game grows we hope their contributions are remembered and celebrated as they deserve.
Those kids coming through though? Wow, we are moved. It is too early to say whether or not they will eclipse the golden generation of the 2010s (and they don’t need that pressure), but they certainly have the potential. Teenagers across SWPL 1 and 2 have been making waves since the league was established in 2004 but it has felt like a particularly talented group of players have burst onto the scene this season. Burns, O’Brien, McAulay, MacLean, Daniel, the Husbands, Finnie… This class of 16-18 year-olds feels different. They are taking to senior, professional, football like it’s a walk in the park and that gets us very excited.
It’s not just the kids either, a number of players in their early 20s have made the step up to start turning potential into performances. Leah Eddie, Carly Girasoli, Brogan Hay, Chloe Warrington, and so many more have taken the mantle as some of the league’s most important players. The real standout being at Hibernian, this time last year suggesting a back line that didn’t include Murray or Hunter would have been crazy. Now, it is the norm as Lawson and Eddie became mainstays in the back line (Eddie since moving on to Rangers).
The Gap is Closing
As more and more is invested, finances and time, the technical and physical level increases throughout. With all growth, there is a point where it slows almost to a standstill. The next level within reach but the changes needed to get to it are bigger and more difficult than before. Of course, we have still seen some heavily one sided scorelines this season. Some that even the winning side will have felt a little conflicted about. But, what we have also seen is a closing of the gaps between the groups that have formed within the league. SWPL 1 can broadly be split into four groups; first to third, fourth to sixth, seventh to tenth, and then the bottom two.
Fourth to sixth is a good indicator of the levelling playing field, all three have caused the top three problems this season. As they have invested more, trained more often, and attracted a higher quality of player, they have levelled up. Regularly they are more than a challenge for those above, and have grabbed some famous results (Emma Lawton/Aimee Ridgeway ghost goal we will never forget). However, the same can be said of those in the bottom six who have challenged these sides themselves. On matchday three Dundee United frustrated Hibernian to a 0-0 draw, a week later Spartans were a minute away from winning over their city rivals but for a last minute equaliser, in round seven Spartans would beat Partick Thistle, in October Montrose earned a point against Hearts after being 2-0 down, and it goes on and on.
Next season it is likely to be even closer, one sided games won’t be eliminated entirely (are they in any league anywhere?) but more often we’ll see teams break their ‘first point/win against X in the professional era’ record. An incredibly competitive league, becoming even more competitive.
There’s Growth Afoot
The season ended with a disappointing turnout at Hampden and Jo Potter - rightly - bemoaning the lack of attention Scottish women’s football gets in some quarters. In England WSL hype was every other post at one point, you couldn’t avoid it. Independent media people and influencers have been utilised to push the agenda and get to the point it is at now (as
recently wrote about on her Substack). Scotland hasn’t seen that yet. But, there is still cause to be optimistic despite the poor turnout at this season’s showpiece events.Club attendance records were set for Kilmarnock (143 vs St Johnstone), Partick Thistle (over 5,000 fans through the gates across the season, and 874 vs Hamilton Accies), the SWPL Cup final (4,786 at Tynecastle), Inverness Caledonian Thistle (1,031 vs Rangers), August in SWPL (8,234 across the month), Montrose (459 vs Celtic), and more. We also saw sell outs for Hearts at Oriam, Hibs at Meadowbank, and in the main stand at Broadwood for Rangers.
It may not be the tens of thousands that we have seen for big events south of the border, however that didn’t happen overnight. Those events happen in the context of regular sell out crowds at those club’s WSL grounds, and with the caveat that in every league that is being held up for some amazing attendances there have also been some disappointing ones. The game has continued to get bigger and bigger, while last season saw big records set with increased regularity, this season has seen the growth of regular match goers and an increase in committed supporters’ groups. The core of fanbases. That is worth celebrating as much as the big numbers.
Reputation Doesn’t Score Goals
2023/24 has seen a number of historically successful clubs hit a snag. The UWCL places went to clubs with one previous league title between them, and both the SWPL Cup and Scottish Cup final were contested between clubs with one previous final win between them. For clubs like Glasgow City, Hibernian, and Spartans that have historically been amongst the top clubs in the league it has been disappointing overall. All have had reasons to celebrate, but none will be happy with their final positioning. A timely reminder that while the game progresses so quickly into the full time era clubs can’t get too comfortable, no matter what they’ve achieved in the past.
This goes for clubs with big men’s sides as well. The league title may have been largely a struggle between the Old Firm but we also saw Dundee United face the relegation playoff, Aberdeen and Motherwell fail to meet their top 6 goals, and St Johnstone finish in the bottom half of SWPL 2. In England we’ve seen Manchester United struggle this season, Real Madrid have struggled to break Barcelona’s dominance in Spain, in the Netherlands Feyenoord and AZ Alkmaar were both in bottom half obscurity. It may sound obvious, but, affiliation with a successful men’s club can only get you so far.
That’s it then for 2023/24! We will be taking a few weeks to rest and plan for our sixth season covering the SWPL (where does the time go?). On that note, we’d really appreciate if you could complete this survey to give us your thoughts on the direction our content should go in.
Thank you for all the support and love this season, we hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as we have!