Scotland’s women footballers have given girls a goal to aim for

Torrance, Caitlin and Beth from the 6th Blantyre Guides at Hampden watching Scotlands Womens Football Team in action

When our leaders asked if we wanted to go to the match, the response was mixed because although some of us play football or enjoy watching it, there were lots of girls who think it’s more of a ‘boys’ game. But with a bit of persuasion, 15 girls from our unit decided that we wanted join in the fun and cheer on the team.

The atmosphere was brilliant and as we chanted “let’s go Scotland, let’s go” and waved our flags, the players on the pitch showed skill and determination. We gasped at near misses, groaned when the opposition made for the goal and jumped out of our seats when we scored.

Erin Cuthbert’s superb volley, followed by Caroline Weir’s sublime free kick got us on our feet, clapping and shouting in excitement. For one of the girls it was her first football match and she seemed to surprise herself by just how much she enjoyed it saying; “I didn’t think I would like watching it live”.

At half-time the score sat at 2-1 for Scotland and the team were playing so confidently that we were sure a victory was on the cards. To add to the excitement, the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon (who we found out is also a patron of the team), came out of the director’s box to join the fans in the stand. We were even lucky enough to have our photo taken with her.

The second half was a bit more nerve-racking as the Jamaican team levelled the score, but Sophie Howard scored in the 68th minute – leading us to a 3-2 win!

With the team reaching the FIFA World Cup for the first time in history, there is no doubt that the profile of women’s football has been raised.

As teenage girls, we’ve been inspired by players like Cuthbert, Weir and Lee Alexander, the fearless goalkeeper. These young women have made it to the top of their game, playing for Scotland and a host of Premier League clubs because they dared to challenge themselves and ignored those who said football was ‘just for boys’.

They have shown us that being a girl should not hold you back in sport and that talent and hard work can allow you to achieve your dream. However, it’s not just football that we’re getting inspiration from.

Female sporting stars like runner Laura Muir, rower Katherine Grainger and curler Eve Muirhead are more examples of women who have proudly represented Scotland at events throughout the world.

High-profile sporting champions like tennis superstar Serena Williams and Lindsay Vaughan the skiing wonder, are role models for us and for many other girls too. These women are making sure the world knows just what women in sport are capable of.

Seeing more women in sport on our TV screens and in our newsfeeds is more important now than ever. We know as girls get older, they are less likely to take part in sport, with the Girls in Scotland 2018 survey finding that 91 per cent of girls aged 7-11 said they play sport or exercise at least once a week, but this drops to 53 per cent for those aged 18-25.

By having more female role models in sport and by giving them equal media attention to men, girls will see that sport is absolutely for them. In our Guide unit, the most popular sports that girls do are gymnastics, netball, dancing and swimming.

These sports could be considered more ‘girly’ but equally some girls play rugby or take part in martial arts, which could be viewed as much ‘rougher’ and ‘boyish’. What we feel is important is that there are equal opportunities for girls to join in sports and achieve the highest level they can, regardless of gender. After the excitement of Hampden, we have been glued to our televisions during the World Cup tournament.

We’ve been cheering on Scotland and have enjoyed watching the many talented women footballers representing their country. Our hope is that more girls will get involved in football and sport, and that, one day, Scotland’s women’s team will lift the World Cup.

Torrance, Caitlin and Beth from 6th Blantyre Guides.

Scotland’s women footballers have given girls a goal to aim for – Torrance, Caitlin and Beth