“When we actually get out and see the girls playing, it makes it all worth it”
On International Women’s Day 2026, meet some of the women who work hard in Scotland to provide opportunities for girls to play and keep them safe:
Rebecca Padden
- What’s your role at SWF and what does it entail?
I’m the Club and Competitions Supervisor for the youth game, more specifically League Administrator for the Central and North regions.
My pre-season responsibilities include managing pre-affiliation surveys and club support, creating fixtures, producing contacts/season planners and updating league rules and policy documents post AGM.
During the season, my role focuses more on club support and league administration, including assisting the Strong Quality Growth Committee with dispensations, acting as secretary for the Central and North LMCs, managing scores and match arrangements, catalogue approvals, club first aid compliance, complaints and chairing kick-off meetings. I also administer eight League Cup competitions, act as Challenge Cup Secretary, organising draws, venues, programmes, and supporting event delivery. More generally either supporting or running over 40 youth competitions across the country.
Post-season, I chair the Youth AGMs for all six youth regions and collate youth rule proposals from staff and clubs.
2. What’s the best things about your role?
The best thing about my role is attending/running cup finals where we finally get to see our work in action. Most of our job is working behind the scenes so when we actually get out and see the girls playing, it makes it all worth it. Also seeing how the game has grown and the opportunities these players have that I didn’t at their age is amazing to see.
3. Can you think of the best goal you’ve seen in a women’s or girls’ game?
Celtic v Chelsea – Agnew’s opener in the Champions League surrounded by thousands of fans was one I’ll remember forever.
4. What’s your favourite sport aside from football and why?
I’ve taken up running over the past few years which has taken me to so many great places like the Amsterdam marathon and Tiree Ultra- marathon. After a lifetime of team sports, it’s fun to dip into the world of solo.
5. What’s your proudest personal sporting achievement?
2011 District Cup (Kreispokal Sieger) final- scored two in extra time to take us to penalties and won (after missing my penalty). This was my last youth team before moving to senior football so one I will always remember.
6. Name one thing that could help promote equality for all women and girls in football?
Lack of free local football/sports facilities. Growing up playing football in Germany there was a real street football culture that I think we’re missing. Structured football is amazing and has its purpose but casual spaces where you can play with your friends is where my real love for the game came from.
7. How far will Scotland’s men get at this summer’s world cup?
I’ll go with: W Haiti, W Morocco, L Brazil. L in KO game after groups but we’ll have fun doing it!
Kirsty Fowler
- What’s your role at SWF and what does it entail?
I work across many areas of SWF including governance, competitions, affiliation, safeguarding. I over see a team of four fantastic people who organise the other senior competitions and the 6 youth regions league activity. My favourite part of my job is organising the Barclays Championship and Barclays League One Leagues as well as the Scottish Power National League Cup.
2. What’s the best things about your role?
My role has such variety, week to week there are consistent things but then you can get drawn to cup draws, sponsorship meetings or going out to clubs to speak to the volunteers. I really enjoy event delivery, you can’t beat a day at a cup final event, on the ground with people who are all there to support girls and women in the game they love to play, the atmosphere is always brilliant.
3. Can you think of the best goal you’ve seen in a women’s or girls’ game?
One that sticks in my mind is from the most recent ScottishPower Youth Challenge Cup final at 14s. It was Inverness Caley vs Dundee United, ICT got a free kick on the edge of the box bang on half time to get back into the game after being 1 nil down. The free kick looked like it was going over the bar but just dipped last second, the stand went wild there was great celebration from the supporters, they had flags and horns. It was lovely to see.
4. What’s your favourite sport aside from football and why?
I took to playing hockey in primary school after a club delivered a hockey session as part of PE, they asked if I’d like to try club hockey. I played with Ross-shire Youth and Highland Hockey club, I represented my district up until under 21 level. When I moved to university I played there and then with a couple of clubs after graduating. I got in to coaching and umpiring after suffering from an ACL tear.
I’m a massive sports fan in general, I love rugby, you can find me supporting Glasgow Warriors most weekends and heading along to Murrayfield for Scotland games, I have been around the UK and Ireland to club and international matches, I love going to sports events. I’ve been to the Womens Rugby World Cup, the last 3 Commonwealth games, I went to the Olympics in London, multi sport events are great, the variety of sport all in one place is fantastic for sports fans.
5. What’s your proudest personal sporting achievement?
Across my years coaching I’ve been involved with teams gaining promotion, I am very proud of the teams achievements, the hard work and effort put in to reach a goal is fantastic to be a part of. I have real fond memories of being involved with Scotland under 16s coaching staff for a few years. Now I see players playing in the senior national team where they were only 13 or 14 when I was a part of the coaching team. Its fantastic to see players progressing with their ambition and drive to reach the highest level.
6. Name one thing that could help promote equality for all women and girls in football?
Narrowing it down to one thing is really difficult as we need a lot of areas to support women and girls to achieve parity with the men’s game which is years ahead in its development. I believe that we need to raise minimum standards, we need women to drive positivity in the game and we need male allies understanding that the game is different and that’s a really positive thing.
7. How far will Scotland’s men get at this summer’s world cup?
I’m your typically Scotland fan regardless of the sport. I am up there supporting the athlete or team hoping they can go all the way. I will be supporting the Lads to get as far as possible in their World Cup journey and of course supporting the Girls to get through their qualifiers!
Heather Jackson
- What’s your role at SWF and what does it entail?
I’m Clubs and Competitions Coordinator, and through this role I oversee the running of the leagues and league cups in the South East and East regions of Scotland as well as the Scottish Power Youth Challenge Cup. As well as this I work as part of the administrative teams who deal with PVGs and disciplinary cases. This role allows me to attend fixtures regularly, speak with clubs, coaches and players and grow the game in Scotland.
- What’s the best things about your role?
Seeing the girls game actively grow, attending games and visiting clubs, as well as seeing my childhood clubs continue to advocate, develop and invest in the girls game.
3. Can you think of the best goal you’ve seen in a women’s or girls’ game?
Erin Cuthbert’s goal against Jamica at Hampden in 2019.
4. What’s your favourite sport aside from football and why?
Netball. I started playing at University and since then have played in the top leagues across Scotland. Netball promotes women’s inclusion in sport, has great sportsmanship across all levels and is continuously growing and developing creating more chances for everyone be involved.
5. What’s your proudest personal sporting achievement?
Competing at a performance level in athletics throughout my teenage years and taking part in competitions across the country.
6. Name one thing that could help promote equality for all women and girls in football?
Investment from everyone to ensure girls are being given maximum opportunities, as well as an understanding of the current stage of development that the women’s game is at, with a focus on how much the women’s game has grown in Scotland since the official reintroduction of women to the sport in 1998.
7. How far will Scotland’s men get at this summer’s world cup?
Hopefully out the group stage!
Kelly Anderson
- What’s your role at SWF and what does it entail?
I’m the Wellbeing and Protection Officer and I’ve been in the role since late 2024. There’s only one of me, so I cover all teams from u12s through to senior leagues and there’s always something keeping me busy! It’s such a varied role and no day looks the same. I cover all wellbeing related concerns so that could be minor code of conduct breaches up to things requiring the involvement of external agencies or even police.
I’m also on hand to help clubs with any concerns or queries they have whether that’s about PVGs for their coaches or how to handle concerns that have been raised with them. I regularly feed back to our Safeguarding Panel, work with the Scottish FA wellbeing team, and I’m also involved with the Grassroots PVG group for PVGs and risk assessments. There’s bigger picture stuff too like keeping up with policies, ensuring compliance with orgs like Disclosure Scotland and organising CWPO training. So there’s never a dull day!
2. What’s the best things about your role?
With the nature of the role, I’m usually speaking to clubs when things aren’t going so well, so any chance I have to cover more positive topics is great. I like getting to run CWPO forums and meet inspiring club CWPOs on more neutral ground, and see how they implement things at club level.
Working at things like the Challenge Cup finals or the Awards night is always nice as well because you get to step back and see what is actually is all about, how much it means to the girls and women involved and what we’re all constantly working to continue.
3. Can you think of the best goal you’ve seen in a women’s or girls’ game?
The first one I can think of is Elisa Higgins’ free kick for Inverness Caledonian Thistle in last season’s 14s ScottishPower Youth Challenge Cup final. Although they lost, Caley Thistle played with loads of heart and it was quite a moment, just before half time.
4. What’s your favourite sport aside from football and why?
I’m a big F1 fan and I always follow Scotland at the Rugby. I got into rugby watching it with my dad or my auntie and uncle so that’s a big part of it for me. It’s got the social aspect of football that I like as well, where going to matches or watching them with people is always a bit of a day out and an excuse to get together. For the F1, I just sort of fell into it. It was on in the pub one day and it was raining, everyone was spinning out, and it looked exciting. I like that it’s so changeable and that you need to keep an eye on what everyone is up to because their strategy or mistake can knock on to your team. I’m honestly not sure what’s captured my attention with it so much but it’s enough to get me up at 6am on weekends so there’s something!
5. What’s your proudest personal sporting achievement?
I’m not really a sporty or competitive person so it’s not something I did growing up. I got into trampolining in uni and while I was never massively great at it, going to competitions and actually going out myself and doing it is something I’m quite proud about in hindsight. My friends dragged me up my first Munro a couple of years ago and it was the same thing of being supported by people to do things I wouldn’t have done myself, actually enjoying it and taking that momentum into other things.
6. Name one thing that could help promote equality for all women and girls in football?
Ohh I think listening to them about what they think the issues are and what they think would help and having them at the table rather than having men making decisions about them and what they think women need. Like, we need teenage girls to tell us what football is like for teenage girls otherwise we’re all just assuming things. I don’t think it’s a conversation that can stop just at football either because football doesn’t exist in a vacuum, it’s happening within society and will be impacted by all the other social issues so it’s involving women and girls in those other conversations generally too.
7. How far will Scotland’s men get at this summer’s world cup?
I hope out the groups at least!
Daljeet Dalgon
- What’s your role at SWF and what does it entail?
I’m the Child Wellbeing and Protection Director, and I support the team at SWF.
My role is to ensure that child (and adult) wellbeing is at the heart of everything that we do and that we aspire to providing a positive, inclusive and player centred environment for all.
- What’s the best things about your role?
Working alongside such a dedicated, committed and supportive team.
- Can you think of the best goal you’ve seen in a women’s or girls’ game?
There are so many goals to consider, but I’ll go for Tanikawa’s goal in the 96th min against Brazil at the Olympics – for the quality but also the response. Tanikawa’s sheer delight and Marta’s despair.
- What’s your favourite sport aside from football and why?
I love all sports – I will watch and try my hand at absolutely anything! In fact, I’m away to observe walking Hockey today with a view to setting this up at a club.
- Name one thing that could help promote equality for all women and girls in football?
Female leadership and visibility that reflects the diversity across Scotland, at all levels of football.
- How far will Scotland’s men get at this summer’s world cup…?
Well, will the World Cup even start? And if so, should it??