Page 3 - Women's Soccer Scene Issue No.24 2021-22

Short term appointment for Fiona

Fiona McIntyre, the Scottish FA Head of Girls’ and
Women’s Football, will join the Scottish Professional
Football League on a four-month secondment from the
Scottish FA with immediate effect.
Fiona will drive the process of creating new
league and league cup competitions for the top two
divisions of the Scottish Women’s Premier League
(“SWPL”).
This follows the announcement on 15th February
that the SPFL will assume responsibility from this
summer for elite women’s football in Scotland.
Fiona McIntyre, Interim Managing Director of
the SWPL, commented: “I am delighted to be given the
responsibility in the short-term to help drive positive
change at such an exciting juncture for the elite women’s
game.
“I look forward to working with the SWPL clubs
to create ambitious new competitions that will inspire continued progress at all levels of
women’s football in Scotland.”
Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell said: “A key pillar of the Scottish FA’s
Accelerate Our Game plan is to take our elite clubs and competitions to the next level.
“For the next four months, Fiona will combine her work with the Scottish FA with
this interim role as we work with the SPFL to create a new governance structure for the
women’s game.”
SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster said: “Fiona has unrivalled experience in
developing women’s football in Scotland and it’s great news that she’s accepted our
invitation to help set out the road-map for the top level of the women’s game.
“We are grateful to Ian Maxwell, Andy Gould and all at the Scottish FA for making
it possible for Fiona to assist us during this pivotal period.”
Last month, it was announced that a majority of the seventeen Scottish Women’s
Premier League clubs had confirmed that they were supportive of elite women’s football
becoming the responsibility of the Scottish Professional Football League as from next
season.
The announcement came after months of talks between clubs, the Scottish FA,
SPFL and Scottish Women’s Football about how best to build upon the progress that the
Scottish women’s game has made in recent years.
It has also been confimed this week by the Scottish FA that children across
Scotland will kick start their football development journey this weekend as the small-
sided games season gets underway in its entirety for the first time in two years.
After the Covid-19 pandemic forced the season to be cut short for each of the past
two years, the small-sided games season will provide children with the opportunity to
develop on the player pathway while enjoying the game in safe, welcoming environments.
Beginning with four v four multi games for the youngest age groups and
progressing to nine v nine games, the player pathway promotes progressive, flexible and
challenging games activity with the ethos of “Let Them Play” at the heart of all sessions.
Issue no. 24 - 3 March 2022 news@womenssoccerscene.co.uk