Future looks bright for girls’ football in Invergordon
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Invergordon Girls Football Club may only have formed two years ago, but they are already seeing a boom in numbers that bodes well for the future of women’s football in Ross-shire.
After a similar club in Dingwall folded this year, Invergordon are the only girls’ club left in the area, and caters for more than 50 youngsters from across the region and into Sutherland.
It has not been the sophomore year that head coach Iain Maciver expected, with youth leagues cancelled in the pandemic, but a solid run of friendlies since October has at least allowed some form of action.
As a result, the club were able to hand out end-of-year awards.
Ellie Fraser, Amber Stainke and Sophie Skinner were named the most improved players in their respective groups, while Emma Scobbie and Yvie Chisholm took the club ethos prizes.
Chloe Wallace and Rhian Foreman were voted the players’ players of the year by their squads, and Daisy Fraser and Katie McHardy became the teams’ players of the year.
Plans are already afoot for how the club can progress next year, with Maciver looking to have three separate age groups competing in 2021 – under-13 and under-15 teams in leagues, and an under-11 festival side.
A move to using the Astroturf facilities in Tain over the winter months has seen participation grow exponentially, and Maciver says the future is exciting for girls’ football.
“It has grown to be huge,” he enthused.
“Hopefully, because of the lack of teams in the Highlands, as our girls get older we’ll have an under-17s league, and then that will have the full pathway.
“There’s the adult league, the Highlands and Islands League, and the plan is to have a pathway right through to getting a team in there.
“At the moment, we’ve been able to expand our coaching team, we’ve got lots of helpers coming in to help coach and parents have been fantastic.
“So far we’ve been able to cope with expanding the club massively.
“We have a guy called Dwain Chisholm, who has taken on our younger team for this year, and there’s Glenda Scobbie who helps me run the club.
“We’ve had a number of other people come in to help coach too, meaning that we’ve been able to pick up heaps of new players.”
n Parents of girls between P5–S5 can contact the club on Facebook or Iain Maciver on 07708 631529
