It is set to be an exciting weekend in the top-flight of Scottish women’s football as SWPL 1 nears its first-ever league split.
This weekend’s round of fixtures is the last before the 12 teams will break off into a top and bottom six – where the teams in their respective halves will go on to play each other home and away.
The split is a really positive addition to the game, as there will be so much to play for and the increased competition will make for more entertaining viewing for fans.
In the past, there has been a debate about how few games teams in Scotland had to play to win the title, but with the split this won’t be the case, as SWPL 1 sides now have a 32-game season.
You want fans to be engaged with the league and more games is a good way to get people invested. It should generate more interest and more visible conversations.
There is a gulf in the top flight, so the split means there should be more competitive games in both halves – where teams are going in level-pegging rather than when the unpaid sides go in as complete underdogs against the full-time professional sides.
At the top, there are three teams in the mix for the SWPL 1 title and the two Champions League spots, and the split means it could go right down to the wire.
If you want to be champions, you want to beating the best teams in the league so Glasgow City, Rangers and Celtic will have a few more chances to take points of each other.
The stakes are high for other teams, too, as Partick Thistle, Motherwell – who play Aberdeen – and Spartans can all still make the top six depending on their results this weekend.
Split can be a marker of progress
For those in the bottom half, such as the Dons, playing the teams who are of a similar level gives them a chance to be competitive and a realistic opportunity to pick up points in every single game.
It’s not unfair to say that’s not always the case in SWPL 1 as the top three routinely put six, seven or eight goals past the teams lower than them in the table.
Aberdeen will have the chance to really perform in their 10 games after the split – it’s a good opportunity for them to draw a line under what has been a rollercoaster of a season thus far.
They will hopefully be able to play with more freedom and with less fear.
I really hope the get some good results which gives them encouragement and a boost.
The split can be used by clubs to reflect on the bigger picture, too.
Clubs can use their position in the top or bottom half as a marker of their development – and what might need to change with their infrastructure and resources to improve upon it.
SWPL 1 has been the most competitive it’s ever been this season, and the split is another sign of the good progress the women’s game is making.
Aston Villa aim to keep up good run of form
My club Aston Villa are on a good run at the minute as we’re unbeaten in our last five FA WSL matches and we hope to keep it going when we play West Ham on Sunday.
Last weekend, we beat Everton 2-0 and it was a game we felt we had to win because there was a lot on the line, as the Toffees were just one point behind us and still have a game in hand.
We were delighted with the win, because it was a pressure game and we dealt with it really well and put in a really good performance away from home.
Our aim this season is to finish in the top half of the table, and now we’re sitting in fifth, we want to make sure we keep putting more points on the board so our league position takes care of itself.
We are ambitious so with that comes a bit of pressure – so we have to enjoy our current run, but also focus on the demands of the league.
— Rachel Corsie (@RachelCorsie14) March 5, 2023
We’re on the road again this weekend at West Ham and, having played them quite recently in the FA Cup where we won on penalties, we know it will be a difficult game.
The last time we met in the league Villa were on the wrong side of the result and it was one I remember feeling disappointed with.
This weekend is not a chance to rectify that defeat, but a chance to improve and to be better than we were before.
Leanne Ross the right appointment for Glasgow City
I was really happy to hear my former Scotland and Glasgow City team-mate Leanne Ross has been appointed as the permanent head coach at the club.
Leanne had been leading the team on an interim basis since December and, after their recent results and ruthless performances, she has them sitting six points clear at the top the SWPL 1 table.
With her being a former player at the club – where she won everything there was to win domestically – I feel she has brought the relentlessness which had been missing back to the team.
I remember when I was the club, our training sessions were competitive and the bounce games were treated like cup finals – the stakes were always high. Leanne will have brought back that mentality.
Glasgow City’s stranglehold on the domestic trophies has started to wane over the last few seasons, but I think Leanne is the right person to bring silverware back to the club.
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