The Scotland Women’s national team will count on the backing of Hampden Park to help deliver a second World Cup berth this week.
Thursday’s play-off against Austria, who reached the last 16 of the summer’s Euros, could see Scotland take a huge step towards another major finals.
It is fair to say this is the biggest Scotland game in three years, since that heart-breaking draw against Argentina which ended their hopes of making the knockout stages of the last World Cup.
The opposition will be stern – beat Austria and they will still have to get past Ireland to secure a place in Australia and New Zealand next year – but they have the platform in which to do so.
🏴 @PedroMLosa has named his Scotland squad for our upcoming @FIFAWWC play-offs at @HampdenPark.
➡️ Get your tickets here: https://t.co/mmWE0JhSzW
➡️ Read more here: https://t.co/MJbPFQXxBc#SWNT pic.twitter.com/rz1n838md5— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) September 28, 2022
Hampden became the home of the women’s national team in 2021, to improve visibility of the game and inspire the next generation of young girls wanting to play football.
The national stadium had already delivered a significant moment for the Scotland Women, where in 2019 they smashed the record attendance for a women’s game in this country with 18,555 watching their pre-World Cup friendly against Jamaica.
A game of this magnitude, plus a potential play-off final if they beat the Austrians, should be enough to eclipse that record again. The team deserves that backing.
Scotland’s form inconsistent – but talent is there
Scotland’s form has been inconsistent but amid heavy wins over Faroes Islands and Ukraine this year have been creditable showings, albeit in defeat, against international juggernauts Spain and the Netherlands.
Pedro Martinez Losa has a squad packed with players playing at the highest level, both domestically and abroad. Ten of his 25-strong squad ply their trade in the FA WSL, including Aberdonian captain Rachel Corsie.
Seven play for the top three teams in Scotland – Celtic, Rangers and Glasgow City – and have won all six games so far in the SWPL.
Midfielder Caroline Weir is playing in the Champions League for Real Madrid and Stonehaven’s Christy Grimshaw, who has returned to the squad after injury, plays in Serie A for AC Milan. The talent is there at Scotland’s disposal.
Although Scotland were not at the summer’s European Championships, which was seen as a catalyst for huge growth in the women’s game, they should still feel the benefits of the exposure that tournament brought.
More still needs to be done for SWPL
Aberdeen head coach Emma Hunter spoke of trying to capitalise on the limelight it had given the women’s game and as part of the new broadcast deal signed by the SPFL last week with Sky, further SWPL games will be televised live and bring a significant sum of money with it.
There are still areas for the game in Scotland to improve. Despite being six games into the new season, the website for the SWPL is still not up and running.
The SWPL came under the jurisdiction of the SPFL earlier this year to improve its marketability but the league has no presence on the governing body’s website.
Qualifying for the World Cup would not be a fix-all for the various issues that still face women’s football in Scotland but it would be further evidence – if it is even needed – that there is a lot to be proud of in this country.
We have seen recently the impact of what a strong Hampden backing can do with the men’s team. They too delivered big performances in front of a packed home crowd, beating Ukraine 3-0 and then coming from behind to beat Ireland 2-1.
Hopefully the stands are packed again on Glasgow’s south side for Thursday – and next Tuesday – to help this Scotland team produce another milestone moment.
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