A new age for women in football and dreams of challenging Rangers and Celtic
Young Partick Thistle defender Leah Robinson discusses changing attitudes towards girls in football, media coverage of the women’s game, and her aspirations
The SWPL1 season ended on Sunday, meaning now is a good time for reflection.
One team with a lot to look back on is Partick Thistle, who made top six despite the odds being on them to finish around last place.
A squad teeming with young talent became the only entirely part-time team to make it into the top half, showing nowadays dreams can come true for female footballers in Scotland.
I got the opportunity to speak to defender Leah Robinson (21) about what it’s like for a girl getting involved in football, her journey, and her aspirations.
As is common, Robinson’s biggest fans have always been her family, and her love for football was kickstarted when her mum first took her to Mini Kickers.
At that stage, Robinson said she was “quite lucky” that her family and teachers offered encouragement, but not everyone did.
Regarding some her age, she said: “It was kind of looked over and that probably was because I was a girl at the time.
“Whereas, if it was one of the boys then it would probably be taken a bit more seriously.
“Ever since primary school in the playground there were funny looks but at that age you just enjoy it and get on with it really.”
The centre-back highlighted that most girls are forced – through lack of options – to start at a boy’s club.
In fact, she made history by being the first girl to play for her first club, Bonnyton.
But – for “different reasons” – the time comes to leave the boys behind. She added: “I think when you do get to that age there is a sense of – well, for me personally anyway – ‘we need her out but we don’t want to kick her out’.”
In her experience, there were not mountains in the path to going pro, but it wasn’t handed to her, the key to success in her opinion being simply to always enjoy it.
She was with Glasgow City U13s before moving to Celtic Academy – an opportunity she sought out off her own back, and the “best decision” she made in her career.
We moved on to discussing the different levels of media coverage that young players get in the men’s and women’s games.
While she stated the rise of some Rangers youngsters such as Emma Watson and Jodi McLeary as a counterargument, it isn’t the same hype that male ‘wonderkids’ get.
She argued: “I think there probably is pros and cons.
“There is that pressure of having the media on you all the time, but I think for women’s football just now it can only be seen as a positive thing.
“The more media that comes in, the more out there women’s football can get.”
The centre-half highlighted the importance of internal media and connecting the club’s fanbase.
It helps Thistle that current men’s players Brian Graham, Ross Docherty, and Jamie Sneddon are part of the PTW coaching staff, as well as all the work that club media officer Craig Walker does.
Walker, who does media work for both sides of the club, spoke about what he does to increase PTW’s reach.
He described his mantra as: “If we don’t shout about ourselves, who will?
He then detailed how he loves telling the “amazing stories” of the players underneath the jerseys.
He called it “very fortunate” that he is able to show off a tight knit group of players, and that the two branches of the club are able to share resources, manpower, and audience with ease.
In recent weeks, PTW players have enjoyed watching their sibling team play at Firhill.
With a recent bumper crowd of over 7,000 for the men’s team, Robinson admitted that she and others get “a bit jealous” over that number of fans.
While she is happy with the “record-breaking crowds” seen in the SWPL1 this season, she said consistent crowds thousands-strong are something everyone wants to experience that will hopefully develop with time.
Robinson seemed cautiously optimistic that there could be a level playing field in the future: “I think in years to come there’s still going to be that stigma against women’s football for whatever reason.
“People just don’t like the thought of women playing football, and that’s obviously their opinion and they have their reasons for that, but I do think it’s going to be difficult for the women’s game to get the same coverage but again it’s something that the women’s game has got to aspire to, to just keep getting bigger and better.”
I read the following quote to Robinson:
While Hayes and Robinson aren’t quite the same generation – Hayes being 27 – the Thistle youngster agreed: “Like I said when you’re younger you just want to enjoy it, but I think as you grow older and become that bit more wise you do realise the discrimination and stigma against females in football is there.
“Obviously the coverage when you’re younger is not something you’re involved in, but again, as you grow older you see that the men’s is getting all the highlights on the telly and the women’s was – at that time – pretty much nowhere to be seen.”
We agreed on a final verdict: it’s come a long way, but there’s still a long way to go.
She said that everyone in society has a part to play in breaking the stigma, giving a hopeful reflection: “I think for young girls to see it on their telly and being able to go to the games without many challenges or obstacles in the way… for me if I was a young girl now it would only inspire me further.”
Regarding her future aspirations, she laughed at my suggestion of one day playing in the Champions League final, before stating: “My focus is on Thistle and I think for us for next year we have got to focus and aim for that top six again, but we’ve got to go for fifth, we’ve got to go for fourth, we’ve got to keep progressing.
“There’s no point in just staying where you are.”
