Latest news with #GemmaFay
BBC News
5 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Ambition v realism: the balance at heart of Scotland's Murrayfield move
The growth of women's rugby in Scotland has been gathering pace in recent contracts. Glasgow and Edinburgh playing in the Celtic Challenge. The national team winning the WXV2 title. Heading to this summer's World Cup with genuine hope of reaching the knockout Scottish Rugby is seeking to capitalise on the increased exposure and interest by moving next year's Women's Six Nations match with England away from their normal home of Hive Stadium and into the big bowl at an exciting step and an ambitious one. Scotland sold out the 7,800-capacity Hive Stadium for the visit of England last year but moving to the 67,000-seater Murrayfield represents quite a leap of faith. 'We want to lay next gauntlet down' All of this is a far cry to what many players in the Scotland squad experienced when they first represented their country."My first couple of matches were at Broadwood in Cumbernauld," Scotland wing Rhona Lloyd told BBC Scotland. "We played before the under-20s men and there was hardly anybody there."It's been a massive journey over the past 30 years to get to this point and I'm so excited for this moment and then for what that will mean for the future."For Lloyd, the announcement is a reflection of all the work that has gone before and a source of real Rugby's head of women and girl's rugby, Gemma Fay, echoes that but does acknowledge that it is a bold says the initial target is to breach the capacity of the Hive. Then they will look to eclipse the crowd for the most-attended women's match ever held in Scotland, which was when the national football team played Jamaica before the 2019 World game at Hampden drew 18,555 fans and served to inspire not only those who were there, but also those running women's sport in this country."I was at that game and it was absolutely amazing," former goalkeeper Fay says. "It was a moment in time and it's almost like the gauntlet had been laid down to say, 'look what we can do in women's sport in Scotland'."We have an opportunity to better that, but we want to take everybody in women's sport in Scotland with us because this is not about us versus them. "This is about us together. And if we can then go on and lay that next gauntlet down, who knows what can happen within women's sport in Scotland." Lessons to learn from football? That day at Hampden six years ago was the springboard to the Scotland team moving all their matches to the national stadium. However, that record crowd figure proved to be the high watermark rather than a platform for sustained started to dwindle and the vast empty stands did not help create the big-game atmosphere fans crave and, crucially, did not inspire the lies the lesson for Scottish Rugby - ambition is to be embraced, but it must be grounded in a sense of realism about what is achievable, and is no suggestion at this stage of the women's national team decamping full-time to special atmosphere they have developed recently at the Hive should not be given up lightly, and moving next door to the big stadium for a one-off occasion seems like a sensible approach to test the and Glasgow have done so to good effect at Murrayfield and Hampden for their festive 1872 Cup derbies, and the hope is Scottish rugby fans will buy into this match in similar numbers."We don't want this to be a one-off," said Scotland head coach Bryan Easson. "We want to do it maybe once a season to show how far it's come."But we don't want to forget what we've got out there [at Hive Stadium]. The crowd that we've got, it is a different audience. "The Hive is a brilliant home for us and it will continue to be our home. We'll still be there, but we'll also enjoy the occasion out here [at Murrayfield] too."
STV News
10 hours ago
- General
- STV News
Scotland aiming for record when England visit in Women's Six Nations
Scotland are aiming to host the country's biggest-ever crowd for a women's standalone sporting event after it was revealed that next year's Guinness Women's Six Nations showdown with England will take place at Murrayfield Stadium. The Scots have played their home matches at Edinburgh's 7,800-capacity Hive Stadium since 2021. However, Scottish Rugby, encouraged by growing interest in the women's game, announced that next April's showpiece fixture against England will be staged at the 67,000-capacity national stadium. The organisation's head of women and girls' strategy, Gemma Fay, is hoping they can drum up an even a bigger crowd than the 18,555 that watched Scotland's women's football team in a pre-World Cup friendly at Hampden in May 2019. 'We know the current record exists with Scottish football right now, and I was there,' said Fay, a former Scotland footballer. 'It was a wonderful day, an amazing atmosphere, and we want to replicate that out here. 'We want to do even better. And if other teams want to challenge us to get that highest standalone women's sporting event in Scotland, please do, because we want to push everybody together. 'For us, this is not just about raising the standard, the awareness and the visibility of Scottish women's rugby in a Rugby World Cup year. This is about everybody in women's sport in Scotland raising that together, because we know ourselves that we can only do this together with the other sports. 'We've got just under a year to sell this fixture, that was purposeful. We've got a wonderful World Cup to look forward to that's happening in England. That's already record-breaking (in terms of ticket sales) and we want to use that momentum to push us forward.' Scotland Women have played at Murrayfield only twice before – but never on the scale anticipated next April. Full-back Chloe Rollie is relishing the chance to represent her country in front of a big crowd at the national stadium. 'Over the years I've been to Murrayfield a lot to support the men's team and I wished I could run up and down that pitch, be there catching a high ball with the team that I'm with just now and making memories like that,' said the 29-year-old. 'I didn't think this would ever happen, I played at Broadwood, my first cap (in 2015), there were maybe not even 200 people there and 75 per cent of that was family and friends, so it was almost like you played the game and that was it, there were no fans there wanting autographs or wanting pictures. 'To see where it is now, you're taking an hour to get through the tunnel because you've got people asking for autographs, asking for pictures, asking for your boots, your socks etc, it's really amazing to see that change and to have that opportunity again to raise those numbers is massive.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
BBC News
5 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Scotland 'have to be hungry' to overcome Austria
Scotland have to be "hungry" in tonight's Nations League game against Austria, says former goalkeeper Gemma Fay. It's a new dawn for the SWNT with new boss Melissa Andreatta taking charge of her first game as they search for their first points of this Nations League A campaign. The Scots have lost all four of their Nations League games so far, most recently suffering hefty, back-to-back defeats to Germany. Former Scotland keeper Fay is hopeful of seeing an improved Scotland at Hampden tonight. "We're going to be hungry, we're going to be at them," Fay told the BBC's Scottish Football podcast."And that's what I hope we see tonight is an aggressive Scotland, because that's one of our real strengths - being aggressive out of possession, winning the ball back and then using our quality on the counter. "That was always kind of what we did when we had Kim Little and Julie Fleeting and I'm not harping back to the days of old. I'm just saying that was a recipe for success."And we still have those types of players. We have Erin Cuthbert, Kerr and Weir. We have Martha Thomas up front. We've got some exciting young talent, players like Kathleen McGovern working her way in, who thrives on counter-attacking football."McGovern joined Hibs from Edinburgh rivals Hearts last summer and was an important part of the squad that lifted their first SWPL title in 18 years. "McGovern's been at a breath of fresh air this season," Hibs assistant, and former player, Joelle Murray told the Scottish Football podcast. "She's had an unbelievable season. She's someone who, off the pitch, can galvanise the team. She's very central and she's a core member of the team. She'll pick you up if you're down."So from that side of things, an unbelievable person. But as soon as she steps on onto the pitch, it's very much business. It's go time. And I love that about her. "For someone so young, she's so mature. She got 25 goals across the season. And I'd like to think if she gets a chance tonight she'll take it because she's extremely clinical in those situations."
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Who has the 'momentum' heading into Scottish Cup final?
Women's Scottish Cup final: Glasgow City v RangersWhen: Sunday 25 May Where: Hampden Park, Glasgow Kick-off: 14:00 BSTCoverage: Watch live on BBC One Scotland and BBC Sport website & app This isn't the one either want to be relying on, but it could be the one that effectively saves their City have Champions League football to look forward to next term, but are trying to avoid back-to-back seasons without have the League Cup in the cabinet but lost out on the SWPL title and European football, so are vying for a domestic cup double once who's in better shape to salvage their season at Hampden in the Scottish Cup Scotland goalkeeper and co-commentator for Sunday's game, Gemma Fay, believes "the momentum" lies with her former club Ross' side comfortably saw off Hearts in the last league game of the season after effectively waving goodbye to their title hopes the week prior in a 2-2 draw with eventual league champions nine-time Scottish Cup winners were unbeaten in eight of their 10 post-split fixtures, though did suffer defeat to Fay favours her old side to extend their record-breaking run in the competition."You've got Glasgow City going for their 10th title while Rangers are the defending champions," said Fay on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast."Then you put the league context against that, Rangers losing to Hibs last week. "They went into that game on a treble. They left not in Europe and with only a League Cup to show. Now, could you say this could rescue their season?"The fact they're not in Champions League football is huge, but a win on Sunday would ensure they go out on as much of a high as they can, especially after that disappointment last week."You'd have to say that in terms of form, Glasgow City are the form team."If you were asking me who could potentially edge that, the momentum is with Glasgow City at this moment in time, so they probably edge it in terms of favourites going into the game."
BBC News
21-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Scott doing phenomenal job at Hibs - but you can't write off Rangers'
Will Grant Scott's "phenomenal" work with Hibs end their six-year trophy drought this weekend?The table-topping capital club head into Saturday's SWPL Cup final in blistering form and looking to defeat holders Rangers to land their first silverware since lifting the same trophy in Scotland and Hibs goalkeeper Gemma Fay says her old club's exploits this season are remarkable given the disparity in resources with the Old Firm."It's a really, really interesting game," said Fey on the BBC's Scottish football podcast."Rangers are defending the trophy, but Hibs currently sit top of the SWPL and are on a 10-game winning streak. The last time they lost was in December."And the top of the SWPL table is causing a bit of interest around Europe in terms of women's football because it is unpredictable. You've got five teams up there who are all capable of winning."And the fact Hibs are top of that with the resources that everybody knows Celtic and Rangers have is blowing a few people's minds."You've got to take your hat off to Grant Scott in terms of the job that he's done there. It's nothing short of phenomenal."Hibs haven't lost to Rangers this season yet. They drew 1-1 and then in December they absolutely thumped them 3-0. "There's a chance that there's a new name on the cup this weekend - but you can't write off Rangers."
