The current European champions, the former champions and World Cup runners-up, and a major tournament quarter-finalist are who Scotland Women will face in our first Uefa Nations League campaign.
If you looked across the four pots in League A, there was never going to be an easy draw but we will embrace the challenge that is Group A1 against England, the Netherlands and Belgium.
I’m buzzing with the group and already really looking forward to the games which will get under way in September.
The Nations League can showcase the international game in its best light.
They will be the kind of games we need to have to drive the audience – you want games people want to be at and they don’t get much bigger than Scotland v England.
It was confirmed on Friday that we will begin our Nations League campaign away to England on September 22, while the reverse fixture will take place on December 5.
We haven’t played England since the 2019 World Cup and it’s a great time to play them following their European Championship win last summer.
The game could be very special and a real catalyst for the wider landscape of women’s football in Scotland.
Our home clash has all the makings for a historic night at Hampden. I’d expect the stadium to be packed out with Scotland fans, while England supporters will travel north in their thousands.
The Nations League has been a good addition to the men’s game and something I’ve enjoyed, which could be down to how well Scotland have done in the competition.
Over the last few years, the women’s team have not played the top teams as regularly as we used to, so the Nations League will be a chance for us to do that again.
Those games in the past might not have always looked like it was in our best interest and sometimes we suffered defeats that hurt, but I believe they were the tough lessons that helped us close the gap and qualify for major tournaments in 2017 and 2019.
It’ll be great to test ourselves at the highest level more often with the Nations League.
I think we thrive under the underdog label people put on us, which has already happened following the draw.
We've been drawn in Group A1 for the inaugural UEFA Women's Nations League:
🏴 England
🇳🇱 Netherlands
🇧🇪 Belgium
🏴 Scotland#SWNT pic.twitter.com/O02K6EuZFp— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) May 2, 2023
We’ll need to work extremely hard to emulate the success that the men’s team have had in the competition, but I have the belief we can do that.
The campaign will be the toughest run of games we’ve had since Pedro Martinez Losa came in as manager and while it can be used as a marker of progress, our main objective has to be performing to a high standard.
We can’t just approach games with the attitude of seeing how far we’ve come – when we pull on the dark blue jersey we always aim to give our best and to pick up a result.
That attitude should reflect the growth we’ve made under Pedro as there will be a core group of players who will be involved that have featured regularly over the last two years.
Arsenal host a night to remember
I’ve been involved in countless games of football, and Monday night’s Uefa Women’s Champions League semi-final is one I will remember for a very long time.
I was at the Emirates for Arsenal’s second-leg clash with Wolfsburg on Radio 5 Live punditry duty. It was a record-breaking night as the women’s team sold out the Emirates for the first time.
The fixture was a real showpiece for the women’s game, which I wrote about last week, following Arsenal’s comeback in the first-leg meaning the score was level at 2-2.
Stina Blackstenius, who started the comeback in Germany, put Arsenal ahead after 11 minutes, before Jill Roord came back to haunt her former club and equalised just before half-time.
It was such an entertaining game – you didn’t want to look away in case you missed something and it continued in the second half as Alexandra Popp gave Wolfsburg the lead in the tie, but centre-back turned forward Jen Beattie headed Arsenal level.
But it was heartbreak for the Gunners as Pauline Bremer scored in the last minute of extra-time to send Wolfsburg to the final in Eindhoven.
The atmosphere before the game was something else and the fans took it into the stadium as the 60,000-strong crowd were on fine form all night.
I could hear the noise over my headphones, and then had to take the headphones off for a minute when the sheer volume of the Emirates started to come through the broadcast!
What was important is that it felt like a crowd, it didn’t just feel like audience who thought they’d go along and see what the occasion was all about.
They were Arsenal fans of all ages – girls and boys, men and women – who were roaring their team on for the entire 120 minutes, while there was a small section of supporters in luminous green who left London with a Champions League final to look forward to.
Rangers stay in SWPL 1 title contention after win over Celtic
The SWPL 1 title race looks like it will go down to the wire with Glasgow City, Celtic and Rangers all still in contention with four games left to play.
City sit at the top of the table with 74 points, while Celtic are in second, but only on goal difference, as they are level on 69 points with third-placed Rangers.
It could’ve been down to a two-horse race on Thursday night if Celtic had closed the gap on City with a win over Rangers, however, it was Malky Thomson’s side who prevailed as winners, which keeps them in the hunt to retain their title.
There will be plenty more twists and turns left to come with City playing Celtic on Thursday and Rangers on the final day of the season.
This has probably been one of the most exciting SWPL 1 seasons there has ever been.
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