It is Women’s Football Weekend which provides a great opportunity to showcase our game on the biggest platforms.
In England, there will be a bumper weekend of FA WSL action with all but one fixture being played at the home clubs’ main stadium.
My Aston Villa side are hosting Arsenal at Villa Park on Sunday, while other fixtures including the Manchester and Merseyside derbies are being played at the Etihad and Goodison Park respectively.
The campaign started in 2019 and has been an annual event since with the aim of putting a greater spotlight on the women’s game.
Although it is an English FA initiative, it is also set to be an exciting weekend north of the border as Rangers and Partick Thistle contest the Sky Sports Cup final at Tynecastle.
More than 4,000 people are set to attend the final which would be a new record for the Scottish League Cup.
It's official, Sunday will be the largest crowd ever for the @SkySports Cup Final! 🤩🏆
Be part of history and join us at Tynecastle Park (13:30 KO) ⬇️
— Scottish Women's Premier League (@SWPL) March 22, 2024
Since its inception, Women’s Football Weekend has helped set record attendances at main stadiums – and over the course of my career, I have had the chance to play in front of big crowds in some great grounds.
Ahead of an exciting weekend of women’s football, here are five of the best stadiums I have played at during my career.
Old Trafford
Last season, Aston Villa played Manchester United at Old Trafford and I remember being excited even when we first found out we would be playing there.
Old Trafford is one of the most iconic stadiums in the game. As a kid, Manchester United were the team outside of Scottish football that I followed the most.
It was a game and occasion we all really looked forward to. In the build-up, you just hoped you would stay fit because you really wanted to make sure you were playing that day.
Emirates Stadium
The Emirates is one of the newer Premier League stadiums and it was a cool experience to play Arsenal there earlier this season.
To play at a stadium like it for somebody my age and at this stage in my career is a big deal.
Over the course of my career, I have gone from playing in front of a couple of people and players’ parents to playing in front of thousands of fans.
I remember the noise from that game. There were several times throughout the match when there was just a surge of noise from the crowd.
I went down injured following a head knock and I think the Arsenal fans thought I was timewasting. They started booing at quite an intense volume, but even that was part of the experience!
Parc des Princes
Although it was where our debut World Cup campaign ended, the Parc des Princes was another really cool place to play.
It was a late kick-off in June, around about 9pm, so it was still quite humid.
The biggest thing I remember is how good the surface was. It was a great pitch to play on.
There was also the noise and the energy from the crowd which you try to feed off of, especially in an occasion like a World Cup match. At these sort of stadiums, those games feel different in a good way and takes it to another level.
Rio Tinto Stadium
A standout memory during my time playing in America in the NWSL was our first game as Utah Royals.
It was the franchise’s first-ever match. We shared the stadium with Real Salt Lake, but the women’s team had their own facilities and infrastructure and so did the men.
It felt like it was our stadium too. We didn’t have to use the same home changing room as the men, we had our own as Utah Royals – and that contributed to a real sense of belonging on that first match-day.
For the first game, they flew our families out to watch.
My parents were there to see us play in front of a sold-out crowd in our home opener. It was a really unique and special experience.
Hampden
Playing for Scotland at the national stadium has to be included in the list.
It is the home of Scottish football and when I think about all the stadiums I have played at for club and country throughout my career, Hampden is certainly one of the most iconic.
I love playing there and everything that comes with it, and I know the rest of the players do too.
First women’s domestic trophy up for grabs in Scotland this weekend
Rangers or Partick Thistle will be the first women’s team to lift silverware this season, as they contest the Sky Sports Cup final at Tynecastle on Sunday afternoon.
The narrative in the build-up to the match has been dominated by Rangers being the favourites and Partick Thistle being asked about how it feels to face them as the underdogs – and Jags manager Brian Graham took issue with the tone of some of the questions.
I can understand why. His team have reached the final on merit, so questioning like it can be tiring.
They have improved greatly over the last couple of years and a place in the last two is a just reward for the progress they have made.
That is not to say it won’t be a difficult ask. Partick Thistle are a part-time team and will be facing a full-time professional outfit in Rangers.
🗣️'We're here on merit, It's not about Rangers…'
Jags boss Brian Graham insists his side are more than capable of taking on Rangers this Sunday in the Sky Sports Cup Final at Tynecastle. #PTWFC | #SkySportsCup | #RangersFC pic.twitter.com/OAWc9Fctj3
— PLZ Soccer (@PLZSoccer) March 20, 2024
Rangers come into the game off the back of a first domestic defeat this season and their first under manager Jo Potter, having lost 2-1 to Celtic in the league last weekend.
But I think that goes against Partick Thistle. It will give Rangers some extra ammunition. They will come out wanting to show an immediate reaction and to rectify that result.
The two sides played out a 0-0 draw not too long ago in the SWPL and Partick Thistle were unlucky on that day not to come away with all three points.
If they can put in another good display then it is anyone’s game – and that competitiveness is what you want to see in a cup final.
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