SHELLEY’S HEROES
Scotland’s World Cup odyssey can inspire a whole new generation of women to chase their football dreams
The fact she’s Scottish brought back a level of patriotism that’s so good to have
FOR the first time this century, Scotland’s footballers are going to a World Cup. Twenty-one long years after the nation’s last venture into the biggest tournament on the planet, the women’s team are breaking the duck.
This summer’s showpiece in France will be their first World Cup appearance and only their second major tournament following their qualification for the European Championships two years ago.
Like the men’s side over the past two decades, they’ve had their own stories of near misses and scuppered dreams to recall. Hopes were dashed in 2015 in a play-off defeat by the Netherlands and in 2011 by a final-day 0-0 draw in Denmark, when a win would have sent them through. But even those heartbreaks represented progress.
The team have come a long way since the dark days at the turn of the century when their world ranking was so low it disqualified them from the qualification process for the 1999 and 2003 tournaments altogether.
Fast-forward two decades and they sit 20th in FIFA’s latest list, with a player roster staffed by some of the world’s most feared names and a prodigious young talent base. The culmination of their achievements so far came in the Albanian city of Shkoder last September, when Jane Ross’s second-half winner sealed qualification.
Flying the flag of national pride, they are determined to capture the nation’s attention and become the heroes of the next generation.
‘That’s what we’re hugely proud of,’ says forward Caroline Weir. ‘For a country like Scotland, where footballing success hasn’t quite been there the past few years, it’s very exciting be a part of.
‘We take being a role model very seriously. If we can inspire even one girl to go out and play football, we’ll be very happy with that. Young girls have role models to look up to and hopefully we can inspire the next generation. That’s exactly what we’re hoping for.
‘It would be great for a Scotland team to be successful — we Scots love to get behind an underdog. The support at the Euros in 2017 was great so hopefully now, with the publicity the World Cup’s got and the way the game is now, the support should be even better. I’m sure we can count on a lot of fans coming out to France.’
For the likes of Jen Beattie, a relative veteran in this squad at the age of 27 with 118 caps to her name, the team’s growth has been clear to see. Her Scotland career spans 11 years, and she’s been able to count her team-mates from Julie Fleeting — the record goalscorer with 116 in 121 caps — to Erin Cuthbert, who at 20 is Scotland’s next big hope, having already established herself as a star at Chelsea.
Cuthbert wasn’t born the last time a Scot kicked a ball in anger at a World Cup finals.
‘It’s probably the strongest squad we’ve had,’ says Beattie. ‘The level of professionalism in the squad has noticeably risen over the past five years, as more players are playing professionally. It’s raised the bar, raised the level of training, commitment to the squad and areas in the team that needed to be improved.’
That extra professionalism in the squad should come as no surprise. When selecting her squad this summer, manager Shelley Kerr (right) will have a raft of English Women’s Super League players to choose from, while the amateur players —primarily provided by Glasgow City and Hibernian — will receive £80,000 in government funding to train full-time in the build-up to the tournament.
Alongside the Manchester City trio of Weir, Beattie and Claire Emslie, there are three Scots at league-leaders Arsenal, while Jane Ross is at West Ham, Christie Murray at Liverpool and Cuthbert at Chelsea. With such an array of talent holding down starting spots in one of the world’s toughest leagues, the gap to the major nations is closing.
Emslie notes: ‘Coming from Scotland, our football growing up was different to the England girls, who’ve been playing professionally for longer. It helps hugely. The girls that are full-time can focus not just on the pitch, but off it, too. Instead of going to work we can take time to recover and rest, focus on football.
‘For Caroline, Jen and myself at Man City, we’re training with most of the England team, with world-class players every day. That forces you to raise your level and ultimately helps the team.’
The job of knitting together these component parts falls to Kerr. Appointed to succeed Anna Signeul after Euro 2017, Kerr is a former captain of the national side, winning 59 caps between 1999 and 2008 before moving into coaching. Under her tenure, Scotland have shifted in style, shunning a previous defensive approach in favour of a freeflowing, attacking system. The changes are paying off.
‘Shelley came in at a perfect time after the Euros. She’s been there and done it, got numerous caps and captained the squad as well,’ says Beattie. ‘She’s had all the experience we need as a team.
‘The fact she’s Scottish brought back a level of patriotism that was so good to have. There was a level of excitement and freshness we needed.’
Weir echoes the sentiment, saying: ‘Shelley’s passionate, very proud to be a Scot but at the same time wants us to play attractive football. Scots are known for their aggression and their physicality, but we’ve tried to implement actual nice football.’ Last month’s group draw showed little mercy to the tournament debutants, pitting Scotland against Japan — 2011 winners and 2015 runners-up —Argentina, and England, who ran out 6-0 winners when the sides met at Euro 2017. Having recovered to beat Spain in the final group game two years ago, the team finished just a goal short of reaching the knockout rounds. The men’s side infamously hold the record for most World Cup appearances — eight — without making it past the group stage. There is a keen sense among this team that they can break through that barrier at the first attempt. ‘We’ve drawn England, you couldn’t write that,’ says Weir. ‘There’s no better team to play when