Football Archives - Scottish Student Sport

Wednesday 1st February 2023

Want to know more about Football before joining a society? Here’s a quick overview of the sport and what SSS has to offer.

Widely reported as the most popular sport in the world, Football is Scotland’s national sport. The origins of Association Football are unclear as there are many claims to the birth of the sport. As far back as Ancient Greece, the sport Episkyros was played between two teams which the objective of getting a ball into an opponent’s goal. In modern times, the Foot-Ball Club of Edinburgh claims to have played the first games in 1824. The first officially recognized football match was between Sheffield FC and Hallam FC on 26th December 1860. The first recognised international match took place in 1872 between Scotland and England which ended 0-0.

While there are many variations of Football, the most widely offered at colleges and universities is Association Football which consists of two teams of eleven players each. However, many institutions offer 5 A Side and Futsal clubs for those looking for a different way to play the beautiful game.

Scotland’s universities have a rich history in Scottish Football. Both the University of Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow competed in the third-ever Scottish Cup, all the way back in the 1878-79 season. Stirling University first competed in the 2016 Scottish Women’s Cup and made it to the Quarter Finals before losing to eventual finalists Glasgow City.

Currently, the University of Stirling is the highest-ranked university in the Scottish League system. The men’s team compete in the Lowland League, the fifth tier of Scotland, where they claimed their highest league finish of 2nd in the 2013/14 season. In the 2022/23 season, they reached the fourth round of the Scottish Cup, where they were defeated 3-0 by former two-time cup winners Dundee United. University of Stirling’s W.F.C play in the SWPL 2, the second tier of Scotland. They played in the SWPL 1, the highest tier, as recently as 2019 and reached a record-high placement of 4th in the 2015 & 2016 seasons.

There are a number of Scottish Student Sport-affiliated events for those who want to join a football society. There are the SSS Conference Finals, Queen’s Park Shield and College National Finals. University teams also take part in the BUCS Football League, with fixtures played on Wednesdays. To apply to your college/university football club, click the following links:

Abertay University: https://www.abertay.ac.uk/life/abertay-sport/university-sports-union/football/

City of Glasgow College: https://www.citysa.co.uk/get-involved/sports-societies/sport/mens-football/

Edinburgh College: https://twitter.com/ecsportsunion?lang=en

Edinburgh Napier (Men’s): https://www.napierstudents.com/organisation/sports/napierfootballmen/

Edinburgh Napier (Women’s): https://www.napierstudents.com/organisation/sports/napierfootballwomen/

Fife College (Men’s): http://www.fc-sa.net/clubs

Fife College (Women’s): http://www.fc-sa.net/clubs

Glasgow Caledonian University (Men’s): https://www.gcustudents.co.uk/groups/football-men-s-1f8e

Glasgow Caledonian University (Women’s): https://www.gcustudents.co.uk/groups/football-women-s-9cf6

Heriot-Watt University: https://sportsunion.site.hw.ac.uk/football/

Queen Margaret University (Men’s): https://www.qmusu.org.uk/groups/football-men-s-9d49

Queen Margaret University (Women’s): https://www.qmusu.org.uk/groups/football-women-s-4c8c

RGU: https://www.rguunion.co.uk/getinvolved/societies/football/

Scotland’s Rural College: https://www.srucsa.org.uk/clubs-societies/

University of Aberdeen (Men’s): https://www.ausa.org.uk/sports/club/aufc/

University of Aberdeen (Women’s): https://www.ausa.org.uk/sports/club/6476/

University of Dundee (Men’s): https://sportsunion.dundee.ac.uk/clubs/football-men/

University of Dundee (Women’s): https://sportsunion.dundee.ac.uk/clubs/football-women/

University of Edinburgh (Men’s): https://www.eusu.ed.ac.uk/organisation/footballmen/

University of Edinburgh (Women’s): https://www.eusu.ed.ac.uk/organisation/footballwomen/

University of Glasgow (Men’s): https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/sport/whatson/club/footballmen/

University of Glasgow (Women’s): https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/sport/whatson/club/footballwomen/

University of St. Andrews: https://football.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/

University of Stirling (Men’s): https://www.stirlingstudentsunion.com/sportsunion/clubs/mensfootball/

University of Stirling (Women’s): https://www.stirlingstudentsunion.com/sportsunion/clubs/womensfootball/

University of Strathclyde (Men’s): https://www.strathunion.com/sports-union/club-sport/club/6580/

University of Strathclyde (Women’s): https://www.strathunion.com/sports-union/club-sport/club/6592/

UWS (Ayr): https://www.facebook.com/teamUWSonline/

UWS (Lanarkshire): https://www.facebook.com/teamUWSonline/

UWS (Paisley): https://www.facebook.com/UWS.PaisleyFootball/

Sports Chair: Filippo Antoniazzi – f.antoniazzi@rgu.ac.uk

Governing Body: Scottish Football Association – https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/

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Monday 11th July 2022

Read on to hear how Saints students got on when they took the #SheCanSheWill Football Cup to a local training session

In the 2021-22 season, University of St Andrews Women’s 1^st team won the #SheCanSheWill Cup (full coverage found HERE). In a brilliant fashion, the club have taken this as an opportunity to inspire the next generation of players by taking the prestigious cup ‘on tour’.

On 24^th June 2022, two members of the Saints Women’s Squad attended a training session in Auchtermuchty to meet and inspire the 9-12 year old Bellvue Colts Girls Squad. Sophia Anderson of the Women’s 2^nd team and Daisy Beddall, one of the finalists and penalty shoot-out scorers from the first team, made the final session before the summer holidays memorable for the 15 girls in attendance.

A fun warm up, a dribbling skills challenge and a match that put the students through their paces ended with the opportunity for the girls to hold the trophy and ask questions. There were smiles all round as the players heard the opportunities in football at university or college after school!

Stuart Milne, Director of Football at University of St Andrews, was delighted with the session and said:

“It is really important to the club to be able to help and support grow the women’s game in Scotland. The club is committed to helping provide young girls and women as positive role models to look up to, that in turn will encourage and inspire them to play the game for as long as possible.

Each week during the academic year we have players from the club who volunteer their time to coach with the St Andrews and East Neuk Girls Football Club. We wanted to help use the success of winning the #SheCanSheWill Cup for the first time, to further showcase our players and give the next generation something to aim for”

The #SheCanSheWill Cup knockout tournament will return in 22-23 so look out for entries going live!

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Monday 6th June 2022

The final SSS Medal Table of the 2021/22 season is here!

The SSS Medal Table is a method for institutions to see how successful their student-athletes have been over the course of the SSS season.

The table includes all events in which medals have been awarded during the 2021/22 season.

All semester 1 and 2 events which took place have been added.

The table defaults to alphabetical but can be sorted by any of the column headings.

SSS Medal Table 2021/22

Institution	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
Abertay University	4	3	4	11
Ayrshire College	1	1		2
Borders College			1	1
City of Glasgow College	4	2	1	7
Edinburgh College	2	2		4
Edinburgh Napier University	4	2	1	7
Fife College	1	4	2	7
Glasgow Caledonian University	9	6	3	18
Heriot Watt University	10	11	13	34
Queen Margaret University	1		2	3
Robert Gordon University	5	10	7	22
Scotland's Rural College	1		1	2
UHI	5	1	4	10
University of Aberdeen	23	36	19	78
University of Dundee	34	21	20	75
University of Edinburgh	87	66	52	205
University of Glasgow	46	62	45	153
University of St Andrews	71	41	38	150
University of Stirling	43	37	31	111
University of Strathclyde	32	33	33	98
University of the West of Scotland	11	6	6	23
Z-Guest Entries	12	11	15	38

Total Events: 73 (88% of planned activity)

Last Updated: June 2022

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Friday 29th April 2022

Scottish Colleges went head-to-head at Oriam in a spectacular day of competition that included basketball, volleyball, badminton and 7-a-side football!

Scottish Colleges went head-to-head at Oriam in a spectacular day of competition that included basketball, volleyball, badminton and 7-a-side football!

Badminton

The first matches started with City of Glasgow College up against Fife College. Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles were played in the team event and Calum Donaldson did well to win the team in white a point in the Men’s Singles. Glasgow took the win 7-1.

After a short rest Glasgow were back on the court to face Edinburgh College. Robbie Greenan (named Most Valuable Player) inspired the Edinburgh team to claim the win (5-3) after City of Glasgow’s strong start.

Edinburgh turned their attention to Fife and were relentless in their attack, taking the game to 8-0! Fife kept their heads up and it was excellent to see Cara McHale (who hadn’t played since she was 12) rewarded with the Sandy King Salver for her drive to support the team, filling in with the badminton team as well as basketball and volleyball!

Coming off of respective wins, the time came for City of Glasgow College to play Edinburgh College. After the singles matches concluded, things were tied up 2-2. Edinburgh College managed to find success with a brilliant showing in the doubles, beating City of Glasgow 5-3.

Basketball

It was a straight final in the Women’s Basketball between Fife College and City of Glasgow College. Many players were raring to go after the buzz of participating in the Volleyball Final earlier in the day! A back-and-forth game saw scoring from both sides, but Fife College were unable to keep up with City of Glasgow who took an early lead and closed out the game 54-25. Well done to Rebeka Krupnivoka (Glasgow) who was awarded the MVP award by the Basketball Scotland officials.

A round robin between Edinburgh College, Fife College and City of Glasgow College heated up the basketball court in the afternoon. Fife put up a great fight against Glasgow but they couldn’t quite bring it back against the men in purple. Special mention to Maroof Springher and Joel Edzii who took 28 points between them for the team from the West! Final score 16-66 to Glasgow. Edezi also featured in a post-match interview with teammate Faraz Masih which you can check out here.

After a convincing win against Fife College, Glasgow took on Edinburgh. This was a much tighter match, with Edinburgh taking the early lead. Sizzling action from Edinburgh’s Finlay Steele kept Glasgow at bay with Steele (later named overall basketball tournament MVP) scoring 22 points for his team in the match. The game finished 74-31 to Edinburgh.

Fife College stepped up to play Edinburgh but any hopes of Edinburgh carrying tired legs were quickly dashed as Steele once again showed his class. Fife kept their heads up and fought back, spearheaded by Jamie Saufole who took an impressive 50% of Fife’s total points in the game – with some sensational 3-pointers. Though Edinburgh had the larger score in their 38-123 win, Fife must be mentioned for showing the most spirit.

Volleyball

Spectators couldn’t take their eyes away from the Volleyball court as Glasgow played Fife in a straight final for both Men’s and Women’s teams. In the women’s match, Fife College took an early lead but a series of neck-and-neck plays took the first set to the final point – with Glasgow just taking the set with 25-24. The second set saw Glasgow get into their stride, leading from the off, however the crowd held their breath as Fife had a run of 4 points, bringing the game to a tight 24-20. In the end, it was a brilliant serving point that claimed the win for Glasgow and Rebeka Krupnivoka was awarded MVP for that sport as well!

In the Men’s Volleyball Final, Fife again took an early lead and seemed to be on track to take the set. However, a run of 5 points charged down the scoreboard to 20-24 with Harry Orr winning the set in spectacular serving fashion. It was another nail biter in the second set as the teams battled it out but Glasgow edged it once more to bring the game to 25-20. Congratulations to Daniel Sime of Fife College who was awarded the Most Valuable Player Award by the officials.

Football

The Men’s 7-a-side football round robin kicked off with Edinburgh College taking on City of Glasgow College and the very even match ended 3-3 at halftime. With both teams vying to take the victory, tensions heated up in the second half. Scores from both sides saw the score finish 5-5 – reflecting the strength and depth of talent on display in both teams.

In the second match, City of Glasgow College faced Fife College. City of Glasgow played valiantly but couldn’t mount an attack against the more experienced Fife College, who went into halftime up 7-0. The second half seemed like the perfect opportunity for City of Glasgow to come back but they appeared to take the foot off the gas as two players from City of Glasgow College were sent off. Fife College dominated the end of the game, winning to the tune of a 12-1 victory.

In the final football match of the day, Edinburgh College returned to try to pick up a win against Fife College. However, the Fife side learned from the previous match and came out more focused against Edinburgh. A competitive and more strategic match was witnessed, with the defenders stepping up to make Edinburgh’s lives difficult. Multiple saves from the Fife College goalkeeper kept them in the match and gave the attackers time to release their talent. Liam Newton in particular put in some brilliant plays and was rewarded as the ultimate MVP of the Men’s football tournament. With the score tied 1-1 at halftime, it was all to play for. Edinburgh hoped to find an advantage and break through Fife’s wall of defence but the next goal came instead from Fife College, and the match ended 2-1 to Fife.

Although the Women’s Football tournament was cancelled, the colleges all enjoyed themselves and the hope is to have a full showing at next year’s, eagerly anticipated, College National Finals.

We’d like to extend our congratulations to the City of Glasgow College for taking overall victory at the College National Finals, a phenomenal effort from students partaking in every discipline.

Thank you to Oriam for hosting, the Officials for their expertise and, of course, the colleges who are doing brilliant work to bring sport to their students. We look forward to seeing more colleges, and more smiling faces, in 2023!

See the full photo album here.

Do you want to help improve Student Sport in Scotland? Have your say in our feedback survey by clicking here.

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Thursday 28th April 2022

It’s Awards Season again!! We are now accepting nominations for the 2021/22 SSS Awards! Read on for more information on the different award categories, the nomination process and where the winners will be crowned.

We are delighted to announce that the SSS 2021/22 Awards are officially open!

With a return to activity, this year the Executive Committee have decided that we should revert back to our usual set of awards. We are really looking forward to receiving all the fantastic nominations.

The Awards

We are accepting individual nominations in the following five categories:

Female Athlete of the Year- Aimed at high performance female student athletes, whether or not they compete for their college or university. This will be awarded to a female individual for outstanding sporting achievement at the highest level during the 2021-22 season (April 2021 – April 2022) while making a tangible contribution to the institution.
Male Athlete of the Year- Aimed at high performance male student athletes, whether or not they compete for their college or university. This will be awarded to a male individual for outstanding sporting achievement at the highest level during the 2021-22 season (April 2021- April 2022) while making a tangible contribution to the institution.
Volunteer of the Year- Aimed at students and non-students who volunteer at a local level. This is not aimed at volunteers primarily in a SSS role (please see Dr Rob Macpherson Award); coaches (see Coach of the Year); paid staff going the extra mile (see Honorary President’s Medal). This will be awarded to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to student sport at a local level during the 2021-22 year. The contribution may be in many forms such as exceptional active or administrative services to a club, college, or university; as a faithful club servant, committee member, leader; official; or purely down to their love of sport. Volunteers purely in a coaching capacity should be nominated for the Coach of the Year award.
Coach of the Year- Aimed at those who coach student sport/ student athletes at any level of performance. They may be either volunteer coaches or paid coaches. Not aimed at professional coaches based in Higher Education for whom student athletes are not the main focus. This award will be given to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to student sport by coaching during the 2021-22 season. Good quality coaching; innovative ideas; dedication to the sport; and a drive to continually improve their own skills are features of an outstanding coach.
Honorary Presidents Medal- Aimed at any individual who has made an extraordinary contribution to/lasting impact on student sport at a local, regional or national level. Nominees should be regarded as wonderful examples/ advocates of student sport and their behaviour should resonate with the above SSS values.

We are accepting group nominations in the following two categories:

Club of the Year- Aimed at the all-round best performing Club, on and off the field of play. Not aimed at clubs that have had a successful competition year only. This will be awarded to a club that can demonstrate impact in the 2021-22 season. Increasing memberships, upping participation, innovative projects, developing volunteers, promoting the role of officials; fundraising, community links and involvement in institution activity are just certain elements that would demonstrate excellence.
Team of the Year- Aimed at the most successful, high performing student teams in the country, whether within SSS/BUCS competition or further afield. Not aimed at a team that performs to the fullest of its potential in the lower levels of competition e.g. a third team that has a 100% season is still unlikely to win this award. This will be awarded to a team for outstanding sporting achievement at the highest level during the 2021-22 season (April 2021-April 2022). This can include international performances.

The final award is the Dr Rob Macpherson Award. This award differs slightly from the rest of our awards – there are no nominations, instead, the winner is selected by the SSS staff team as opposed to the Executive Committee. The award is aimed at any individual who has made an outstanding contribution to volunteering with Scottish Student Sport.

Check out our 2020/21 award winners here! 🏆

The Details

Nominations for each category should be a maximum of 500 words.
Institutions can nominate in as many categories as they wish, but may only put forward one entry per category.
Past winners can receive the same award again.
Only member institutions can nominate. All member institutions have been sent login details to the online portal where nominations should be submitted.
Nominations close on THURSDAY 12th MAY at 18:00 and the Executive Council will then decide on the winners.
Winners will be announced at the Awards Dinner on Wednesday 8th June, as part of the SSS Conference.
Please contact Totty with any queries.

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Thursday 21st April 2022

The University of St Andrews bested The University of Stirling in a gripping Final to hoist the #SheCanSheWill Cup.

The University of St Andrews bested The University of Stirling in a gripping Final to hoist the #SheCanSheWill Cup.

Held at Oriam on Wednesday 20^th April, the #SheCanSheWill Cup Final saw The University of St Andrews face off against The University of Stirling to claim the title of top women’s side among Scottish universities and colleges. The newly named cup (formerly called the ‘Womens’ Cup’) reflects the ongoing drive to progress women’s sport in Scotland and the number of supporters who took to the stands shows clearly that the women’s game is on the rise.

The first half went by in a flash as strong defence by both teams resulted in a halftime score of 0-0. Attempts came from Isabella Rosalina and Maddie Curtis of St Andrews. However, the Stirling defenders were on their game, led by goalkeeper Victoria Scarratt. This trend continued into the latter half as both teams moved the ball down the pitch, seeking opportunities and testing the defence. The first opportunity of the second half came for Stirling on a corner, but a header from Jodie Malcolm was saved by substitute goalkeeper, Mariel Gordon. St Andrews looked to threaten in the 56^th minute with a shot to the bottom corner from Mary Dugan, however, a phenomenal diving save denied them once more.

The gripping back-and-forth continued, with both defences stifling any attempts to venture deep into opposing territory. The next close call came from St Andrews in the 65^th minute as a save from Scarratt resulted in a corner, upon which the Saints nearly capitalised. The stellar goalkeeping continued as Scaratt once again deflected a shot from Rosalina. Stirling seemed to find more of a rhythm and pushed back with fighting spirit but at 90 minutes, the score remained 0-0.

Extra time began with Stirling driving down the pitch. The crowd held their breath but the shot at goal just went wide. The Saints looked to turn the tables quickly, and soon found their way into enemy territory. Taking advantage of a few mistakes by Stirling, St Andrews got a great opportunity with a corner but once more the crowd were denied the goal. St Andrews quickly got back on the offensive as Rosalina snuck in behind the defenders after a long pass from Gordon, which her sights on the goal. The shot was just knocked away by a sensational sliding tackle from Holly Watson and Stirling breathed a sigh of relief. The stalemate continued as the Stirling attackers found themselves unable to make ground. A shot from Malcolm just ricocheted off the post and extra time finished goalless

Penalties are no-one’s favourite, but the Cup Winners needed to be crowned. The first shot from Rebecca Hellgren (Stirling) went wide. St Andrews’ first was scored by Clare O’Connor who guided the ball into the bottom left corner. Next from Stirling, the shot by Chenoa Rainer went just too high, aiming for the top corner. Daisy Beddall made it 2-0 for St Andrews as she drilled the ball past the keeper. Keeping Stirling in the game, Maria Rishina sent the keeper the wrong way for an easy goal. Next for Saints, Isabella Rosalina hooked the ball to the left which kept the score 2-1. Lindsey Blues stepped up for Stirling and despite the pressure building, she delivered a neat goal to the bottom left corner to tie the score. St Andrews’ managed to retake the lead after a goal from Natalie Chandler hit off the hand of Scarratt and went in. Barely a sound could be heard in the stadium as, Jackie Malcolm took her shot for Stirling. Her attempt was denied by goalkeeper Gordon causing the St Andrews bench to empty as they stormed the pitch to celebrate. University of St Andrews won the #SheCanSheWill Cup 3-2 in a nailbiting penalty shootout!

Congratulations to the University of St Andrews and Player of the Match, Isabella Rosalina of St Andrews. They received their silverware from Jen Malone (South East Regional Manager from the SFA) to rapturous applause from the stand. Thank you to Oriam for hosting the event and to our match officials.

Live streaming was provided by Youth Football Scotland and a full replay of the match can be seen here.

A full album of photographs can be seen here.

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Wednesday 13th April 2022

After a long two years the Scottish Student Men’s Football Finals returned today at Oriam, with Heriot-Watt University and the University of Stirling battling it out for the illustrious Queens Park Shield.

After a long two years the Scottish Student Football Finals returned today at Oriam, with Heriot-Watt University and the University of Stirling battling it out for the illustrious Men’s Queens Park Shield.

The Queens Park Shield was first awarded in 1922 and this year, 100 years on, we continued the tradition at Oriam. Due to a Covid-19 enforced hiatus players took to the park for the 98th instalment of this historic tournament.

After taking the knee to demonstrate Scottish Student Sport’s ongoing commitment to fighting racism and discrimination of any form in sport, the game kicked off at the National Performance Centre. The University of Stirling started well with a strong charge up the field putting the pressure on the Heriot-Watt defence. Stirling’s Jason Jarvis (later named the game’s MVP) scored a blinder just five minutes into the match. He was well rewarded for a great bit of positioning that allowed him to curve the ball past the Heriot-Watt keeper, Matthew Sherry, and hit the net at the bottom right corner.

The game stayed evenly matched for the next twelve minutes until a challenge in the box saw Heriot-Watt University awarded a penalty against the Stirling side. HWU Captain Craig Smith stepped forward and calmly placed the ball past Stirling’s keeper, Ben Fry, to equalise.

The rest of the half played out similarly, with ferocious play from both sides culminating in a level scoreboard heading into halftime.

After a brief break the players were back on the park, fired up and ready to provide an exciting second half. After a strong opening from the University of Stirling the Heriot-Watt defence turned it up to eleven, beating back merciless attacks from the Stirling side and countering well. The tempo of the game began to change however and both sides brought on a multitude of subs, looking to find the winning formula that would seal success.

Evenly matched going into the 85th minute it was looking like it could have been anyone’s game, however Heriot-Watt’s Campbell Marr was determined to take home the shield. After a phenomenal drive from the Watt and a few small defensive errors from Stirling, a great cross from Daniel Irvine bounced off the Stirling defender and found Marr’s feet, leaving him to seal the deal with a tap into the goal. University of Stirling continued to fight valiantly into extra time but it was not enough to overcome Heriot-Watt’s defence. The match ended with two goals to Heriot-Watt University and one goal to the University of Stirling.

As the final whistle was blown, Heriot Watt Head Coach Bejay Koya charged onto the park with a delighted smile, yells of triumph were heard throughout the Oriam stands and across the pitch – Heriot-Watt University celebrated winning the Queens Park Shield Trophy for the first time since 2008! With more than one hundred and sixty spectators in the stands, the atmosphere was electric and the players could not contain their excitement as SSS Competitions Chair, Chris Sellar, awarded their medals. Well done to runners-up, University of Stirling, who held their heads high and should remain proud to be Queen’s Park Shield finalists.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to our three referees, event volunteers and Oriam staff who made this fantastic celebration of student football happen.

Special thanks to Youth Football Scotland who live-streamed the action which you can watch on the SSS YouTube Channel HERE. You can also check out our photo album from the event on the SSS Facebook Page HERE.

Want more exciting football action? University of Stirling and University of St Andrews battle it out at Oriam on 20^th April to win the prestigious SheCanSheWill Cup. You can get your tickets HERE.

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Wednesday 23rd March 2022

Through our partnership with the Scottish FA and our commitment to growing the game, we are delighted to announce an exciting opportunity for aspiring female football coaches within the SSS Network.

Through our partnership with the Scottish FA and our commitment to growing the game, we are delighted to announce an exciting opportunity for aspiring female football coaches within the SSS Network. The Scottish FA will be providing a free of charge female only Introduction to Coaching 1.1 course on 25^th & 28^th April (both sessions 6pm-8.15pm online).

The course aims to aims to develop a basic understanding of

§ The Scottish FA coach education pathway and the coach’s learning journey.

§ Effective communication and player interaction to develop effective delivery.

§ The fundamental principles of a games-based approach to player development.

§ The role of the coach within the Coaching Process.

§ How to solve some common problems faced by the coach

Whilst covering:

§ Theory (Introduction to Coaching, Benefits of a Games Based Approach & Challenges of the Coach)

§ Practical (Introductory Activities, 4v4 Games, Challenge Games, Training Games)

The course is open to female students aged 16 and over, experienced or otherwise. To register your place on the course please email Ian Lowe with details of which college/university you represent. Details on how to register and how to complete the mandatory perquisite Child Wellbeing and Mental Health eLearning courses will then be send out to all candidates.

Women’s football is a big part of the Scottish Student Sport network – play your part by attending the course.

Scottish Student Sport are extremely grateful of the excellent support received from the Scottish FA.

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Tuesday 22nd February 2022

To celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month, we are shining a spotlight on student clubs that would like to share their work

40 footballers on pitch smiling to camera, half standing and half kneeling in front of them

Kristina from the University of Edinburgh Women’s Football Club, got in touch with our Inclusion & Culture Coordinator Eilidh to highlight the work the club is doing to ensure their current and future LGBTQ+ members know they are welcome.

Hello Kristina, thanks for reaching out. How has the start of the semester been for the club?

Everyone at Edinburgh University Women’s Association Football Club (EUWAFC) has been happy to have the chance this year to get back together on the pitch and play in matches after a year of social distancing. Each of our four teams – ranging from our first team in the Northern Prem to our newly competitive fourth team in Scottish 3A – has featured several new faces and grown as groups showing great cohesion, strength, and resilience this past semester. Our recreational program also saw a surge in participation demonstrating the increasing interest in football across our community. These remain tough and uncertain times for student sports clubs but EUWAFC has taken every challenge head-on thus far and will continue to do so this semester.

What steps are you taking as a club to make your sport more welcoming to and inclusive of LGBTIQ+ students?

EUWAFC has a strong history of commitment to LGBTIQ+ inclusion and as the club’s first Inclusion Officer in recent history, I’ve aimed to maintain our efforts and build on past progress this year. Both on and off the pitch, EUWAFC strives to offer a welcoming and inclusive environment for players of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions. This year we’ve worked closely with our Sports Union to ensure the fullest participation as possible for our transgender and non-binary members and still aim to do more work on this front to help with participation in competitive games. We also have previously reformed our Club Constitution to use gender-neutral language and currently, we encourage the sharing of pronouns by our Club Committee and members during introductions and on their social media. Additionally, we run awareness campaigns on our social media (@EUWAFC) throughout the year. Back in December, we participated in Stonewall UK’s ‘Rainbow Laces Day.’ Donning the ‘Rainbow Laces’ was a small way to symbolize our Club’s dedication to LGBTIQ+ inclusion in football, and in line with the campaign’s motto of “Lace-Up and Speak Up,” we used our Instagram to raise awareness of and take a stand against LGBTIQ+ discrimination in sport.

Why do you think it’s important to celebrate awareness dates such as LGBTQ+ History Month?

It’s important to celebrate awareness and visibility dates such as LGBT+ History Month because these occasions give recognition to the progress gained by affected communities while also raising awareness of the continued challenges faced by them. LGBTIQ+ inclusion in sport has grown in recent years but barriers and inequities to full participation remain, which need to be addressed. We at EUWAFC acknowledge our ability to be an advocacy platform and change agent in football and Scottish student sport. For example, during this year’s LGBT+ History Month, we are participating in Football v Homophobia’s (FvH) ‘Month of Action.’ As part of this campaign, we will host an inter-university tournament with the University College London (UCL) and the University of Glasgow in honor of FvH, make a club pledge toward further inclusion actions (e.g., formal development of an equity policy and trans inclusion policy), and report on these actions as well as promote awareness using our social media platforms. Through these actions, we both celebrate the LGBT+ community and work to demand better for them.

What would you say to an LGBTIQ+ student who would like to join your club but is worried about how they may be received?

I would say that it is understandable to be worried about joining any new group but reassure them that EUWAFC truly welcomes everyone. Whether you are just trying out football for the first time or this beautiful game has been your forever passion, you can have a place in our club. EUWAFC – its Committee, coaches, and members – will be there for you and is committed to taking active steps to make you feel as safe and included as possible.

Thank you to EUWAFC for sharing their development journey with us. This is the last of our student spotlight stories for LGBTQ+ History but look forward to continuing to shine a spotlight on the membership.

To assist us in our journey to make student sport even more inclusive, complete and share our equality survey.

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Wednesday 26th January 2022

February is LGBTQ+ History Month, help us celebrate the great work of the membership!

In the words of our LGBTQ+ Lead Carolina, “every month we focus on supporting the inclusion of LGBTQ+ sporting participants across Scotland”, now it is time to shine a spotlight on that work. This LGBTQ+ History Month, you can help SSS celebrate the great work of the membership alongside your student clubs, unions, and facilities.

Here are some ways you can get involved:

Student Club Spotlight

During the month, SSS is going to share at least one spotlight story each week from across the country that is doing good work within their club by creating a safe & inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ people – Do you have any clubs in mind? If so, please email your interest to Eilidh before Monday 14th February to be featured.

Rainbow Laces

SSS would like to donate our limited stock of Rainbow Laces to our members (max 100 pairs each) during this month with the only cost we ask to be covered being postage. The laces will be reserved on a first come first serve basis. If interested please email Eilidh.

Football v Homophobia Month of Action

FvH Grassroots is an initiative supported by Puma to get grassroots football clubs to take action to tackle LGBTQ+ discrimination in football throughout February, the Football v Homophobia Month of Action. We recognise this is an individual journey for each club, so the campaign pack will provide different ideas which clubs can adapt.

Find out more here.

Trans Active Glasgow & Edinburgh (NEW!)

LEAP Sports programs, Trans Active Glasgow and Edinburgh are friendly sport and physical activity groups where students and community members will have the chance to socialise with other trans people, make friends, and try out new things. Now new to the city of Edinburgh, find out more here.

LEAP Sports Corporate Cup

Would you like to enter a ten-pin bowling team, raise money for LEAP Sports and compete for the win in Glasgow? Find out more here but be quick, there are is limited number of space left.

Thank you to our partners LEAP Sport for continued assistance with our development within this area of work and to our LGBTQ+ Lead Carolina for the passion and expertise she bring to her volunteering role in SSS.

If you have any further questions, please contact our Inclusion & Culture Coordinator, Eilidh.

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