Edinburgh Castle lit to mark ScottishPower’s three-year extension of women’s football support

Evening Standard

Edinburgh Castle became a shining tribute to Scotland’s female footballers on Saturday night, with striking images of players of all ages and stages projected onto the iconic landmark to mark ScottishPower signing up to support the women’s game for another three years. From the Castle Esplanade, players, coaches and parents gathered at dusk as the historic fortress was illuminated with projected footage showcasing the journeys of young players developing into emerging professionals alongside existing stars and professional players, bringing to life what is increasingly possible through ScottishPower’s continued support. The projection marks the extension of ScottishPower’s exclusive Principal Partnership with Scottish Women’s Football (SWF) and the Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL), first announced back in 2023 as the biggest single investment in Scottish women’s football. The leading green energy company also confirmed it will continue to sponsor the Scottish Youth Challenge Cups at all three age groups, SWF’s National & Regional league cups and is again backing the fast-growing Scottish Women’s Highlands and Islands League and Cup. Interviews with - Keith Anderson, ScottishPower Chief Executive - Aileen Campbell, CEO at Scottish Women’s Football - Fiona McIntyre, Managing Director of Scottish Women’s Premier League - Laura McLaughlin, Kilmarnock FCEdinburgh, UK

Transcript

00:01So today we've been launching our next three years of sponsoring Scottish

00:05Women's Football and the Scottish Women's Premier League. Scottish Power are really

00:10really proud to be doing that. I think the best thing we've done and what makes

00:13me most proud is the stuff we've done at the grassroots level and it's the simple

00:18things like making sure every girl entering the sport has got access to

00:22getting the kit and the equipment they need.

00:27It's hugely exciting to have the three-year extension with Scottish Power. They've been

00:31a fantastic partner. It's not been transactional, it has been wholesale support. Their vision,

00:36their commitment is tangible and it's felt across the whole of the country and across

00:40the whole of the game. For us in the Grassroots game the next three years means that we can

00:44fulfil our ambition and ambition to grow the game further. Looking back when Scottish Power

00:49first came in the SWPL was just moving into a more professional era. We certainly

00:53have lots of talent in the country. What we lacked was that real profile and visibility

00:57and that long-term sustained support and that's certainly what Scottish Power have brought.

01:01Looking ahead for the next two years we're really clear what we're trying to achieve.

01:05We want to raise the standards both on and off the pitch. We want to deliver more role models

01:10for the next generation and we want to inspire that confidence amongst our clubs and our players

01:14that women's football is here to stay and on an upward trajectory.

01:17When I started playing there was very little support back then. Sometimes there wasn't access

01:21to changing rooms or getting changed at the back of buildings or in cars and having support

01:26back then for simple things like that would have been incredible so it is nice to see that

01:29that's now getting put in place for the younger generation.

01:32Launching at Edinburgh Castle is just fantastic. I mean it's the most iconic building in the country

01:36and it's kind of symbolic of Scotland.

01:39Not a lot of people would be able to say they've seen their own face on such a big landmark

01:43like Edinburgh Castle so it's really special.

01:46All the girls all the way through up to the elite sport push that resilience, push that ambition,

01:52push the visibility and how do you make women's football more visible than projecting it on a castle?

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