Hearts can revolutionise Scottish women's football by providing the same experience for boys and girls, says girls academy manager Kevin Murphy.

Part of that would involve promising girls training with boys' sides to ensure they are challenged to improve.

The Tynecastle side recruited former Manchester City Women's technical director Murphy in January as part of an annual "six-figure investment".

The Scot says he would not have left City "if Hearts weren't so serious".

"I was sceptical at first. You think 'Are they just ticking a box?'. But I was blown away by the level of detail they went into," Murphy told BBC Scotland.

"I feel this is going to be revolutionary in girls and women's football in Scotland, I want to be part of that."

'Elite girls are as good as elite boys'

The Edinburgh outfit have been affiliated with a women's team since 2009, and finished third in the second tier last term.

This season they have taken the team 'in-house' to be fully part of the club and, in December, owner Ann Budge announced a "six-figure investment year-on-year", saying it was the "right thing to do".

"We have our own football school and if there are girls good enough - and I have to stress that - they can have the same access and opportunities as the boys," Murphy said.

"There are some players who, in an all-girls team, might not be challenged enough. And I think it's up to us to make sure that challenge is adequate, so that could be training with the boy's academy teams.

"Technically, there is never much difference from an elite girl or an elite boy. But boys tend to be a bit quicker, so the decision making for the girls has to be quicker, it forces them to move the ball quicker.

"It's easier to do it at younger age groups. Once puberty kicks in it, becomes difficult to compete on a physical level. But you'll always get an outlier, a girl who can go to 14/15 and still compete with boys."