Grampian Ladies’ Rachel Duncan will put family ties aside when she hosts her twin sister’s team Edinburgh Caledonia in SWF League One on Sunday.
The encounter at Banks o’ Dee’s Spain Park will be the first time that Duncan and her twin Sammy Hyett have played against each other in a competitive league match.
They grew up playing together at school, a local team in Westhill, Aberdeen and Scotland youth squads, before opting to go and play football at different universities.
Although they haven’t played together in recent years, the twins have both played an integral role in establishing their respective clubs.
Duncan is Grampian’s secretary and helped husband George set up the Torry club a few years ago, while Hyett is the chair of Edinburgh Caledonia, having founded it in 2011.
Family rivalry adds extra edge to League One encounter
Grampian are unbeaten in their last four games in League One and currently sit in fifth on 25 points, with Edinburgh Caledonia 14 points behind in eighth.
Duncan said of playing against her twin sister this weekend: “We have played for different teams ever since uni but never come up against each other in the same league.
“In Grampian’s second season I feel like we are settling into the league well, we have a lot of young talent and experienced skilful players who are gelling well together.
“I don’t believe Caley’s results truly reflect their ability and can never be misjudged. I won’t be going into the game assuming anything and know it is going to be a tough clash.
“I am really looking forward to it especially with all the talk and rivalry building up since we knew we would be playing against each other.”
There are already strong family ties at Grampian as Duncan’s husband is the chairman and coach, while stepdaughter Lauren Boylan is the women’s team captain.
Duncan added: “My husband is the chairman so behind the scenes I play a big part in setting up and now running the club. I even designed the logo which I now proudly can see being worn by hundreds of girls in Aberdeen.
“My stepdaughter is the captain of the ladies and my granddaughter plays in the under-5s. Therefore, the history of our teams and parts we play in our clubs add an even bigger competitive element.”
Well done to our Captain @laurenDB4 for making November's TOTM 👏❤️🖤 https://t.co/NAYarFgK2E
— Grampian Ladies and Girls FC (@FcGrampian) December 2, 2022
Hyett reckons there has always been a rivalry between the twins, which their parents got involved in by creating a family cup competition.
She explained: “This will indeed be the first time we have ever come up against each other in a league fixture in the 30-plus years we have both played. Due to our background and involvement in our respective clubs there has always been a rivalry.
“For a number of years we played each other in ‘The Hyett Cup’, when our parents would present the winning team some silverware, unknowing that we would get to play each other in the same league one day.”