Number of women playing football in Scotland up 21% after World Cup Exclusive: The girls’ and women’s game in Scotland is booming at the moment, reports Chris Green

Scotland’s national football team may have seen their campaign at last year’s Women’s World Cup end in agony, but their heroics appear to have sparked a surge in new players taking up the sport.

The number of registered female players in Scotland jumped by 21 per cent during 2019, according to official Scottish Football Association (SFA) statistics seen by i.

During the World Cup year the number rose from around 14,000 to more than 17,000, the biggest annual increase in the history of Scottish women’s football, the figures show.

In 2016 the number of registered players stood at just 10,492, illustrating the dramatic rise in popularity of the women’s game. Last year’s tournament in France saw record TV ratings.

The figures include all players in the Scottish leagues as well as girls registered with schools, SFA Girls’ Soccer Centres and sports facilities run by local councils.

The SFA is keen to develop the women’s game at the grassroots level and is poised to announce a new strategy which could include the appointment of its first director of women’s football.

Last week it also announced a new Uefa-backed scheme called Disney Playmakers, which uses characters from the films to encourage five to eight-year-olds to try the sport.

“The girls’ and women’s game in Scotland is booming at the moment, with participation figures growing year on year,” said Andy Gould, the SFA’s head of football development.

“At a national level, Shelley Kerr’s side have done an incredible job on the pitch, qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup last summer where they played in front of millions watching on the television and thousands in the stands.

“Their success has been a huge contributing factor to the increase in the number of girls taking up football and we are hopeful that the participation figures will continue to rise for years to come.”

‘The girls’ and women’s game in Scotland is booming at the moment’

Similar trend in England

The trend is similar in England, with figures published at the end of last year showing that 850,000 more women signed up to play the sport after the Lionesses reached the semi final in France.

According to the FA, a total of 2.63m women aged 16 and over in England now play football, with 1,831 affiliated women’s teams and 4,073 affiliated girls’ teams.

Last year’s tournament was the first time that Scotland had qualified for the World Cup, with the side coming within a whisker of qualifying for the knockout stage.

Needing a win in their final group match against Argentina, the team’s hopes were dashed after they conceded three late goals – including a controversial penalty – to draw the game 3-3.

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‘Very encouraging’

Scott Bland is club secretary at Drumchapel United in Glasgow, which began in 2016 with 24 girls on its roster, from under-9s through to under-15s. The club now has 80 players on its books.

“I believe that girls now see football as a sport that they can play in rather than just watch,” he said.

“Every week we have new girls coming into our club – and what is encouraging is that they are often five and six-year-olds preferring football to dance and gymnastics.”

Stewart Harris, chief executive of national sports agency Sportscotland, welcomed the figures.

“Taking part in sport or physical activity brings so many benefits to physical and mental health,” he said. “The increase in the number of registered female footballers is very encouraging.

“It is important that we continue to build on that to increase the opportunities for women and girls to get involved across all sports.”