Aberdeen Women’s future is bright after the club secured the services of five of their most promising talents on semi-professional contracts which will run until 2024 – but why those five?
The start of the move to semi-professional football signals an exciting future for the women’s team, with the quintet the the first paid female players in Dons history.
In putting the players on paid contracts, it means the Reds best talent will continue to develop at the club and, if they were to eventually move on, the club would receive a fee that could be reinvested.
There would’ve been plenty of discussions had about which players would be among the first batch offered contracts, but the ‘Famous Five’ – as skipper Kelly Forrest called them – have earned their place in history with performances on the pitch.
Bayley Hutchison
Hutchison made her debut for the senior side in 2018, after coming through the youth ranks, and made quite the name for herself in her first season, winning SWPL Player of the Month at just 15 years old.
Although the Dons were relegated from the second tier that season, Hutchison impressed and her form was a sign of what was to come, as she scored nine goals in their final eight games of the campaign.
The following two seasons saw Aberdeen win successive titles and promotions back to the top-flight, with Hutchison picking up another SWPL Player of the Month Award in 2020 while playing in SWPL 2.
This season has been her first in SWPL 1 and Hutchison hasn’t looked out of place, scoring 20 goals in all competitions thus far, which saw her earn a nomination for the inaugural PFA Scotland Women’s Young Player of the Year award.
Hutchison has impressed for her country, too, scoring four goals in four appearances for Scotland’s Under-19s, and the possibility of a senior call-up has been touted on social media.
Eilidh Shore
Shore is an integral part of Aberdeen’s team, with co-boss Emma Hunter stating the midfielder can be having a bad game but ‘still be one of the best players on the pitch.’
The 20-year-old came through the ranks at Aberdeen, and since breaking into the first-team she has become one of the Dons’ key players.
Shore, a former Scotland U19 international, picked up the club’s Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year accolades after playing in SWF Division 1 North and SWPL 2.
This year, in the top-flight, Shore earned a SWPL 1 Player of the Month nomination in October, and has started in each of her 23 league appearances, only missing two games due to injury.
Of those appearances, Shore has completed 90 minutes all but once, and has scored two goals from midfield this campaign.
But Shore contributes much more than goals and has proven to be a key playmaker in Aberdeen’s attack this season, having developed a clinical partnership with Hutchison.
Eva Thomson
Thomson made her debut for Aberdeen in their title-winning season in SWF Division 1 North at just 15 years old, having signed from Westdyke in July 2019.
She was part of last year’s SWPL 2-winning squad and has adapted well to life in the top-flight, having made 24 appearances in SWPL 1 – all starts – and eight cup appearances.
The midfielder, who prefers to play as a number 10, has scored three goals – including the match-winner against Hibernian, which was arguably the Dons most impressive win of the season.
Thomson is one of Scotland’s best midfield prospects, having been involved with the national set-up since U15s level, and has made six appearances for the Under-19s since October 2021.
Jess Broadrick
Broadrick signed for the Dons at the same time as Thomson, but moved up to the senior squad from Aberdeen Ladies’ Under-19 National Performance League team.
The young defender is a future talent for both club and country, and has been an ever-present in the backline this season, her first in the top-flight.
Outside of the top-four, Aberdeen have the lowest goals-against total in the league, something which has proved vital in their bid for a top-half finish in SWPL 1.
Alongside experienced defenders Kelly Forrest, Loren Campbell, and Donna Paterson, Broadrick has not looked out of place, and has often risen to the occasion, putting in her best performance of the season at Pittodrie against Rangers.
At only 17 years old, Broadrick is the Scotland U19s captain, and has helped guide the national team back to the elite UEFA European Championship pathway.
Francesca Ogilvie
Having come through the youth ranks at Stonehaven, Ogilvie made her debut in senior women’s football while playing for Cove Rangers.
She signed for the Dons’ SWF Division 1 North squad in 2019 when she was 17 years old and, in the following campaign in the second-tier, Ogilvie won SWPL Player of the Month for June 2021, after scoring eight goals and providing four assists over seven games.
One of Ogilvie’s biggest attributes is her versatility. She has played in defence, midfield and as a striker in her first season in the top-flight.
The now-20-year-old, who was capped six times at Scotland U19s level, went on an impressive run of form after the Christmas break, scoring seven goals in seven games over the league and the Scottish Cup.
An injury kept her out for six games between March and April, but Ogilvie has proven that, when fit, she is a game-changer for the Dons.
12 year old me playing for Stonehaven Youth can not believe this has just happened 🙌🏻 ⚽️ ❤️ https://t.co/BMMdfHazV1
— Francesca Ogilvie (@FranOgilv13) May 6, 2022