Glasgow City crowned SWPL Champions for the 22/23 season. Photo Credit: SWPL via Instagram.
The Scottish Women’s Premier League has well and truly kicked off- six games in, and it’s more exciting than ever. With the highest level of women’s football in Scotland, the title really is up for grabs. Current champions are Glasgow City, who have also won the league the most out of any teams, sixteen times.
The SWPL is split into two divisions, SWPL 1, which is the top flight and consists of 12 teams, and SWPL 2 being the second tier with eight football clubs. They are ran by the Scottish Professional Football League, who took over from the Scottish Football Association in 2022, and they also operate the one domestic trophy in Scottish Women’s football, the Sky Sport’s Cup. This August, we saw a 30% increase in the number of fans who attended matches, compared to the same time last year, with over 8,000 people coming to support their team.
The team that finishes first place in SWPL 1 are champions and qualify for the UEFA Women’s Champions League the following season. The second place team also secure a place in the European competition. Least season saw Glasgow City and Celtic take those places. The team that finishes twelfth place in SWPL 1 becomes automatically relegated to SWPL 2, while the eleventh-place team faces a relegation play-off with the second-place SWPL 2 side, where the winner plays in SWPL 1 and the loser plays in SWPL 2 the following season. Last season, eleventh-placed Hamilton Academical won their play-off against second-placed SWPL 2 side Gartcairn, so stayed in the top flight. The winner of SWPL 2, which was Montrose, automatically gains promotion as well.
Want to learn more about the top flight of women’s football in Scotland and follow along with the league? Here’s all you need to know about every team in SWPL 1.
Aberdeen
Aberdeen have had a bag of mixed results so far, having lost two games and won three, meaning they currently sit in seventh place. After conceding 10 goals in their first four games, including a 5-1 loss to Rangers, Aberdeen kept a clean sheet as they beat Spartans 3-0, leaving them optimistic as they take on Hamilton Academical at the weekend.
It was Aberdeen’s defensive record that let them down last season, as they finished in tenth place on 15 points, having only won 4 games and having a goal difference of -36. This season, they’ll be looking to fix this. Aberdeen first brought in youth Liverpool goalkeeper Faye Kirby on loan, who’d had some excellent performances for her parent club last season. She’s certainly made a difference so far, having started in every game so far and her performance especially against Montrose making sure Aberdeen walked away with all three points.
Aberdeen also signed forward Hannah Insch, who returns to Scotland after spending most of her football career in Australia. 22 year old midfielder Laura Holden also joins from Cheltenham Town Ladies. Aberdeen also announced the retirement of skipper Loren Campbell this summer, having played over 100 games for the club. In her place, 29 year old Dutch and former Aston Villa midfielder Nadine Hassen takes the armband, with Francesca Ogilvie named vice captain.
Hassen, as well as Maddie Finnie, become the two latest players to sign semi-professional contracts for the club. They join the five players who were initially offered the contracts after the club announced its transition to semi-pro status in 2018. Aberdeen have described this as an important phase in the development of AFC Women, who are striving to create a clear pathway to professional football and become a sustainable side in the top flight.
This decision should not only pay off this season, as Aberdeen look to stay mid-table rather than fight the threat of relegation, but also in the seasons to come. Prospective players will be more attracted to a club that shows its dedication to the success of its women’s side.
Celtic
Despite being such a dominant team in Scottish women’s football, Celtic have never won the Scottish Women’s Premier League. They came so close last season, when it all came down to the final day. They did all that was in their control by beating Hearts 2-0, but a 92nd minute winner from Glasgow City just clinched them the title and left them in second place. However, Celtic still had a season to be proud of, finishing with 56 points and a Champions League spot. They also won the Women’s Scottish Cup for the second time (consecutively), beating rivals Rangers 2-0 at Hampden Park with goals from Natasha Flint and Claire O’Riordan.
Natasha Flint was so crucial to this Celtic side during her loan spell from Leicester in the second half of the season. Many fans were hoping for a permanent transfer but the forward left for Liverpool this summer. Celtic also lost forward Jacynta Galabadaarachchi at the end of last season. With 15 goals in 25 appearances and named their 2022 Player of the Year, that’s a lot of attacking talent that Celtic have needed to replace.
So far, the club have had the perfect start to the season, and there’s no real gaps that seem have to been not filled in from the last campaign. Celtic have won all of their five games so far, scoring 34 goals and conceding only 3. Their top goalscorer currently is forward Amy Gallacher, with 9 goals and 5 assists in just 5 games, followed by Kit Loferski with 6 goals and 3 assists.
Anyone who questioned how Celtic would make up their summer departures simply needs to see their scorelines to be proven wrong. Attacking-wise, every player has stepped up and as a club they are relentless, racking up scorelines of 9-0, 7-1, 5-0, 9-0 and recently 4-2. With such a strong balance of experience and youth, Celtic will be seeing this season as theirs to clinch the title. It’s not just about the biggest scorelines, but also keeping up such consistent performances in every game.
It certainly helps that Celtic have recently transitioned to a full-time playing model. With the transition beginning in the 19/20 season, they became the first professional Scottish Women’s football team. This was a massive step forward that saw the team train daily and gear up for a serious title challenge which will hopefully pay off this season.
Dundee United
Dundee United currently sit at ninth place in the league, equal to their position last season. However, with bringing in so many new signings to bolster their squad, they’ll be frustrated to not be sitting higher. So far, they have lost three of their games, drew one and won their most recent match 5-3 against Hamilton Academical with a Rachel Todd hattrick, as well as goals from Leah Sidley and Claire Delworth, which saw their first goals of the season. Todd was named Dundee’s new captain after skipper Danni McGinley departed the club this summer, the forward having netted 60 goals in 74 appearances. It’s clear that Dundee are definitely missing her consistent and experienced attacking talent so far this season.
Dundee made a number of signings this summer, including bringing in creative midfielder Emma McMurdo, centre-back Jae Wilson and goalkeeper Laura Sangster. They also brought in plenty of youth talent to balance the experience already in the squad, such as the loan of young midfielder Brodie Greenwood from Hearts. The youth duo of attacker Keira Chuter and centre-back Abbie Cusack also join on loan from Celtic, as well as 19 year old Niamh Noble joining on a short-term loan from Glasgow City.
The team consisting of fully Scottish players have climbed the ranks of women’s football in recent years. Dundee were promoted from the third tier of Scottish women’s football (SWFL Division 1 North) in 2018, before securing promotion to the top flight in their 21/22 season. However, coach Graeme Hart won’t want the team to settle simply with the goal of staying in the SWPL, but rather to push as far up the table as possible, certainly hoping for a better finish than last season.
Glasgow City
Current champions Glasgow will be looking to defend their impressive title reign this season. The club has won the SWPL a staggering 16 times. Last season they went unbeaten, winning 20 games and drawing 2, with a goal difference of +87. Not only domestically, but Glasgow are also the most successful Scottish women’s football team in the UEFA Champions League, reaching the quarter-finals twice. This season in the SWPL, they’ve had a positive first five games, comfortably winning four and drawing 1-1 with rangers. However, the quality of the league this season means that picking up 13 points out of 15 leaves them sitting in third place.
Glasgow announced the departures of six players this summer upon the expiry of their contracts. These included forwards Sarah Gibb and Abbi Grant. Centre-back Jenna Clark also departed for Liverpool after spending five years at the club, winning four league titles and the Scottish Cup. She made 137 appearances for Glasgow, scoring 28 goals in her time.
Glasgow City have brought in lots of attacking talent this season, to defend the title. This included American forwards Brenna Livera and Cori Sullivan. American midfielder Aleigh Gambone also joined from Danish side Fortuna Hjorring. Glasgow have also looked to bolster their backline, signing Scottish centre-back Kenzie Wier on loan from WSL side Everton and defender Charlotte Wardlaw on a loan deal from Chelsea.
Glasgow should be pleased with their start to the season, especially being just five games in, where a single game can still change everything. 21 year old Lauren Davidson especially has had an excellent start, bagging two goals and two assists so far. For the reigning champions, it will be about consistency and getting every game over the line to bag the three points.
Hamilton Academical
Hamilton Academical currently sit eleventh in the SWPL, matching how they finished last season, with thirteen points, only having won four games. They stayed in the top flight through beating second place SWPL 2 side Gartcairn in the play-off. So far this season, they’ve lost all five games and conceded 23 goals, including a 7-1 loss to Celtic. Hamilton were only promoted to SWPL 1 in the 20/21 season, where they finished second in SWPL 2 and won their play-off match.
The club has seen a lot of change this summer, firstly with manager Gary Doctor departing, the announcement coming just before Hamilton’s play-off game. Robert Watson was announced as the new manager going into this season. It was also announced that club legend MT Gardiner was retiring in the summer, which is a huge loss for the club. The forward had been with Hamilton since 2016 and made 94 appearances where she scored 35 goals, plus overcoming a serious ACL injury in 2021.
Hamilton made a number of signings this summer, These included strikers Ami Robertson and Becca Taylor (on loan from Rangers). 18 year old centre-back Keira Ritchie also joined from Glasgow City, and midfielder Shelley Campbell from Glasgow Women. Their best player so far this season has been German forward Josaphine Giard, who has two goals and two assists so far.
Defensively, it’s clear that the club still needs a lot of work if they want to avoid the prospect of relegation this season. With a very rocky start in the league, here’s hope that the players can find their feet a bit more and pull out some good performances.
Hearts
Hearts had a campaign to be proud of last season, finishing fourth on 40 points, having won 12 games, drew 4 and lost 6. After an optimistic campaign, manager Eva Olid will be looking to not just settle mid-table but to push Scotland’s top teams in the title race.
Hearts currently sit fifth in the league, having won three games and lost two. They’ve played really well against some top opposition and should take these positives into their upcoming games. Their star player has been new signing Kathleen McGovern, who joins from a tough time injury-wise in Germany, and has netted four goals in five game so far.
Hearts also signed 22 year old attacker Olufolasade ‘Sade’ Adamolekun. The young Jamaican player already has 17 caps for her country and was quoted as one of the top ten prospects in the world during the 2019 World Cup. Forward Ester Morgan also joins Hearts; a product of the Spurs academy who’s had multiple successful loan spells can now get game time at a permanent club. Hearts have definitely got the balance of youth to go with the already experienced squad members, such as Republic of Ireland international midfielder Ciara Grant. Experienced forward Danni McGinley also returns to Hearts after four years at Dundee United.
Hibernian
Hibernian currently sit eighth in the league, having won one game, drew two and lost two. Last season, they finished fifth on 32 points with a mixed bag of results, having won nine games, drew five and lost eight. While their current position isn’t where they’d like to be five games in, they have played some very tough opposition already, facing both Celtic and Glasgow City. Hibernian definitely have a much better home form than away, having scored all eight of their goals at Meadowbank Stadium this season. They definitely use their home games to their advantage, for example scoring a late goal against Spartans to take a point after going 2-0 down early on.
Hibernian let go of six players this summer including shot-stopper Benedicte Haaland, midfielder Ava Kuyken and goalscorer Katie Lockwood. The club’s player of the season Lucy Parry also returned to parent club Liverpool after a successful loan spell and some valuable game time for the fullback.
A crucial signing for Hibernian was American midfielder Naomi Powell. The youngster brings plenty of energy and creativity to the side, with excellent passing range and will impact their game defensively and offensively. She brings the right mentality too, explaining how she is “really looking forward to gaining experience, learning, but also leaving no doubt in terms of winning and trying to get to the top end of the table.”
American forward Jorian Baucom also joins the side, as well as 18 year old forward Abbie Ferguson. It’s clear that Hibernian have focussed on creating a dominant front line to lead this season. They’ve also brought in fullback Lauren Doran-Barr from Motherwell and keeper Katie Fraine. Versatile youth player Tegan Bowie also returns, who can play anywhere on the left.
With such well-rounded signings, Hibernian should be looking to push up the table and out-do their campaign last season. With a difficult start, they should be starting to play more cohesively and pick up more points in the next few weeks.
Montrose
Montrose join the top flight of Scottish Women’s football this campaign after a very successful two seasons, achieving back-to-back promotions for the first time in the club’s history. They were promoted to SWPL 2 following the 21/22 season with a strong debut in the second flight, seeing them crowned champions and promoted again after losing just three times.
This perhaps explains so many contract extensions announced for players this summer- Montrose have built a cohesive squad that has achieved so much in such a short space of time. They’ve also added a few players going into this season, including Italian striker Alma Codegoni and midfielder Tammy Harkin. The trio of Neve Guthrie, midfielder Jade McLaren and Northern Ireland international Lauren Perry also join from Dundee United. Some players have also been offered professional contracts- a step in the right direction for the club.
However, this season has not been smooth-sailing as the step up into the highest league should not be underestimated. So far, Montrose currently sit bottom of the league, having lost all five of their games so far, scoring only three and conceding twenty three. This includes a nine-nil defeat from Celtic. However, one positive from this season is the increased fan support now the team are in the top flight. Montrose’s game against Celtic in August saw a record-breaking attendance for the club of 459 supporters at Links Park Stadium, double that of the same time last year.
Motherwell
Motherwell currently sit sixth in the league, having a mixed few games as they won three and lost two, scoring eleven goals and conceding eight. Most of their goals scored have come in their home fixtures at K-Park Stadium. They’ve had a positive few games, coming off back-to-back victories as they beat Montrose 3-1 after a 4-0 victory against Hamilton. Their top goalscorer and one of their most crucial players has been Kaela McDonald-Nguah, who’s netted four goals so far with one assist. She was their top goalscorer of the 21/22 season and netted seven goals last campaign.
Motherwell have competed in the top flight since winning promotion from SWPL 2 in 2018. Last season, they finished 7th on 30 points, and will be wanting to push on this season. They’ve made a twelve signings to bolster their squad, including Scottish forward Morgan Cross. Laura McCartney also makes a permanent switch to the club after spending two years at Motherwell on loan from Rangers, however didn’t feature due to injury. It’s clear that the club are prepared to invest in these talented youth players as they think about the future of the team. This is clear as 19 year old Aberdeen midfielder Bailley Collins also makes the switch, as well as youth player Sarah Gibb from Glasgow City. Not only does she bring creativity in the midfield, but also experience of winning- a mentality that is much needed in the squad.
Motherwell will take on Partick Thistle and Hibernian Women in their next two games. They’ll see this as an opportunity to claim all six points and shift further up the table.
Partick Thistle
Patrick Thistle have had an optimistic start to the season, sitting in fourth place having won three games and lost two. They’ve lost points against the top opposition of Rangers and Glasgow City, but have got some good wins and performances under their belt, with a goal difference of +8. Last season, the Jags finished sixth place having won and lost equal amounts of games, so they’ll be pleased with their progress so far this season. Partick actually initially failed to gain promotion to the top flight in 2021, where they finished third place so just missed out. However, they were invited to join the SWPL as Forfar Farmington resigned their place just before the new season began.
Patrick had a fantastic opening game with a 4-0 win against Dundee United, but it didn’t come without the drama. Defender Claire Doherty was shown a red card after just twenty minutes, but a disciplined performance from the Jags both attacking-wise and defensively, saw them take all three points. Number nine Cara Henderson netted a hattrick in this game, with her first goal coming in the space of four minutes. She’s a fundamental player for this team, with six goals in five games and rightfully so nominated for August player of the season.
Manager Brian Graham made a number of signings going into this season, including strikers 20 year old Vhairi Munro and Rosie McQuillan, who joins from Spartans. 17 year old Jenna Ferguson also joins on loan from Rangers. With a solid team, they’ll be hoping to push the top three clubs all the way in this season’s title race.
Rangers
Despite being one of the most established women’s football teams in Scotland, Rangers were held to a third place finish last season on 55 points, narrowly missing out on a chance in the Champions League. After five games this season, they sit in second place behind rivals Celtic, after winning four games and drawing with current champions Glasgow City. However, Rangers did win the City of Glasgow Women’s Cup this July, after a staggering 11-0 win against QPR and a 2-1 win against Celtic to clinch the title for the second year running. They’ll have wanted to take this momentum into the league.
Rangers welcomed their new manager Jo Potter to the club this summer. The former England midfielder joined after being an assistant manager at Championship side Birmingham City. It gives the club a fresh start as they try to regain the league title which they won in the 21/22 season. They welcome a new captain as well, as Nicola Doherty, who had vice-captained the side for the last two seasons, takes the armband from defender Kathryn Hill.
Rangers made some statement signings this summer to boost their chances of winning the title. These included 31 year old Sarah Ewens who returned to the Scottish League after a successful spell at London City Lionesses. Rachel Rowe also joins Rangers from Reading: an attacking midfielder who was a stand-out player last season in the WSL, bagging some crucial goals for her club.
So far, midfielder Chelsea Cornet has bagged the most goals, scoring four times in five games. Teenage winger Mia McAulay has also announced herself to the SWPL stage, especially after a player of the match performance in Rangers’ 5-1 win over Aberdeen. It will be consistency of these individual and team performances that can see Rangers push all season to regain that title.
Spartans
Spartans have had a tough start to the season, losing four games and drawing 2-2 with Hibernation. They’ve only managed to score three goals so far but conceded seventeen. Last season they finished in eight place with 26 points, fairly out of the relegation battle. They’ll be hoping to avoid this again and push higher up the table.
Spartans have made some good signings including American forward Lauren Berman and versatile wide player Naomi Sleator who joins from playing football in Madrid. Young centre-back Tegan Browning also joins the side after playing college football in America, calling her new club “strong, established and ambitious”.
The club announced that trio centre back Nicola Jameison, defender Katie Frew and striker Emma McFadyen would leave the club last summer as their contracts expired. With so many goals conceded already, it makes you wonder if they have replaced some of their back line with as much experience as is needed.
Despite their rocky start, there’s been positive moments from this Spartans team and some great goals, including one from Sarah Clelland as they gained a point against Hibernian. If they can improve defensively, they’ll be looking to stay away from the prospect of relegation this season. Spartans take on bottom of the table Montrose at the weekend, and they’ll be expecting to walk away with three more points under their belt.
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