Caley Thistle Women’s boss Karen Mason is relishing the challenge which will be offered in a new-look SWF Championship next season.
The nearest opponents for the Inverness side will by Dryburgh Athletic in Dundee after Scottish Women’s Football announced a revamp ahead of the 22/23 season, which will consist of a national Championship and League One.
A national Championship – the highest run by the SWF – will see Caley Thistle as its only north competitors, while the SWPL now part of the SPFL.
The Caley Jags, who are on the hunt for new players right now, will face trips to the central belt for away fixtures, apart from when they tackle Dryburgh in Dundee.
Until now, sides have competed in Championship North and Championship South.
Three of ICT’s opponents last term – Westdyke, Grampian and Buchan – are now part of a new League One, which will have 14 entrants next season, with two promotion places into the Championship up for grabs.
Membership of the eight-club SWF Championship next term will be determined by specific criteria, such as commitments to youth pathways and player wellbeing.
The teams competing in the Championship alongside ICT will be Ayr United, Dryburgh Athletic, Hutchison Vale, Livingston, Morton, Rossvale Women and Renfrew Ladies.
Quality to improve in Championship
ICT manager Mason reckons the teams from Championship South will help raise the bar and level of quality overall.
She said: “The smaller league will hopefully make it more competitive, which is what the SWF is going for, so that will be good. There should be fewer high scores that we have seen over the last wee while.
“There are a lot of teams that we don’t yet know too much about, which will be a new challenge for us. It’s only Dryburgh who we competed against last season. We’re looking forward to it – it will be an exciting new league.
“There was a competitive top half of Championship South last season, much like ours. There was quite a disparity between the top and bottom teams.
“Rossvale were beaten by East Fife in the play-off final, so we’ve had a look at them, and we played Renfrew in the cup a few years back. It will be a novelty for us, but hopefully we will get an opportunity to see some of the sides before the season starts.”
Further travel not an issue for Mason
And Mason is not fazed by the distances involved in competing in the division as they aim to push towards promotion next term.
She said: “It will add on more miles for us, but the main thing is we’re playing competitive games as we aim to get to the same place as everyone else is.
“If you want to play at the top level, you have to take the challenges on in terms of travel. Yes, it will take up more time, but that’s part and parcel of competing in a competitive league and we won’t see it as a problem.”
Aiming to bolster squad numbers
Caley Thistle, who finished fourth in Championship North last season, this week stepped up their hunt for more players for all positions.
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle WFC (@ICTWFC) June 1, 2022
And Mason is stepping up her bid to bring in new players for all areas of her squad.
She added: “We have lost a couple of players (Tina Kelly and Abbey Ross) for a year and they were regular starters.
“We’ve also had players coming back from injury, so we would be left with around 15 players to work through the season with.
“We need to strengthen to give ourselves a bigger squad to work with.”
Any players interested in getting involved with Caley Thistle Women should call Karen Mason on 07745 027897 or email invernessclfc@gmail.com
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