Scottish Women’s Premier League 1 The Official Matchday Programme
Sunday 12th of September 2021 Ainslie Park Stadium 1pm KO
Friends Legal are the main kit sponsor of Spartans Women FC, supplying all our kit requirements including our home strip and match day and training apparel. Friends legal are a specialist personal injury law practice. The team at Friends Legal try and make access to legal services as straightforward as possible by promoting a friendly approach. Tony O’Malley, Managing Partner of Friends Legal, said: “At Friends Legal we strongly believe in the power of community to achieve great things so we are delighted to continue our partnership with Spartans Scottish Women’s Premier League team . It is also part of our philosophy to give something back. Spartans were able to demonstrate a clear vision for their club, along with clearly defined values that they wished to promote.” We are extremely grateful for the continued support received from Friends Legal. For expert advice please call Friends Legal on 0141 442 0610 or visit www.friends-legal.co.uk
Home Ground
Medical Staff
Ainslie Park (Capacity 2,400 / 504 Seated) The Spartans Community Football Academy 94 Pilton Drive, Edinburgh EH5 2HF Tel: 0131-552-7854 E-mail: info@spartanscfa.com
Marcin Szostak Club Physiotherapist Amy Young Matchday Physiotherapist Toni Fraser Matchday Physiotherapist
SWPL Team Staff Debbi McCulloch Head Coach Scott Noble Assistant Head Coach Katie Reilly Assistant Coach Colin Osbourne GK Coach Jude Watson Team Chaplain Mel Crolla Team Chaplain Liz McMahon Club Secretary John Douglas Club Photographer James Lambert Matchday Operations Adam Smith Team Manager Amy Hogg Media Officer Robyn Dunn Sports Nutritionist Liam Thomson Video Analyst
U19’s NPL Team Staff Alfie Smith Head Coach Michael Cranston Assistant Head Coach Charlene Lessells GK Coach Jason Cross Team Secretary
Girls Academy Daniel Blyth U17’s Head Coach Aaron Hunter U15’s Head Coach Stephen Burnett U15’s Head Coach
Club Information Website: www.spartansfcwomen.com Twitter: @spartansfcwomen Facebook: @spartansfcwomen Instagram: spartans_womens_fc
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Today we extend a warm welcome to Eva and her players to Ainslie Park for our first SWPL 1 home match of the new season. Hearts will of felt hard done by last Sunday with Hamilton securing a close victory with a last minute penalty. There is no doubt Hearts have a team of players who are progressing in the right direction so we know we will have to be at our very best this afternoon to secure our first points of the new season. Our first SWPL 1 match last Sunday, versus Hibs, unfortunately did not go to plan for us. We have spent this week reflecting on what we did well and where we need to improve. I’m fortunate to have a group of players who are willing to be honest with themselves, self reflect and are driven by finding solutions not problems. The team have taken on board our feedback and trained well this week. We wanted a reaction and we got one! Today sees us celebrate Rachel making her 200th appearance for the club. A truly remarkable achievement and one she should be very proud of. Thank you for your loyalty and contribution over the past 11 years Rachel and I look forward to your next 200 appearances! On the player front, we have a full squad to choose from today. As everyone continues to challenge each other at training, selecting the starting 11 for every game is a welcomed headache for myself and the staff. We know we won’t have this luxury every week however the depth in our squad will be incredibly important to our success this season with everyone having a vital role. Your support matters greatly to all of us so please get right behind the players this afternoon as I know everyone really appreciates it. Together is all that matters. Enjoy the game! #DBDF
DebbiDebbi McCulloch McCulloch
Photo courtesy of Craig Doyle Media
Bad Dinosaur Agree Match Short Sponsorship Deal With Spartans F.C. Spartans Football Club is delighted to announce that its Scottish Women’s Premier League team have agreed a new sponsorship deal with Edinburgh based app development agency Bad Dinosaur. Bad Dinosaur is an award winning team of digital product designers and developers. They partner with entrepreneurs, startups, and established businesses, helping them to bring their ideas to life and digitally transform their businesses.
Bad Dinosaur will not only be sponsoring our Macron home and away shorts this season but will also sponsor our new Spartans Player of the Match Award for all Season 2021/22 home fixtures. Spartans Head Coach Debbi McCulloch said: “We are delighted to welcome Bad Dinosaur to the club as we embark on another new partnership. It was clear from our initial discussions with Bad Dinosaur that they had a real passion for female sport and an honest social conscience so our partnership is the perfect fit.” Linking to this, Bad Dinosaur additionally had a strong desire to support The Spartans Community Football Academy’s girls only Little Miss Kickers coaching programme by becoming it’s lead sponsor. This will see The Academy introduce a new Bad Dinosaur LMK Player of the Week profile which will be included in our match day digital programme, The Spartan.
Additionally, Bad Dinosaur plans to support The Spartans Community Football Academy with their STEM and sport educational programme, Sphero. The Bad Dinosaur team will volunteer their skills and expertise to help create activities and projects for community members. Bad Dinosaur’s, Kyle Whittington, Managing Director and Founder, commented: “Spartans is so much more than a football club, it’s a real community that cares about it’s members and we were really impressed with the STEM initiatives that they are driving. Helping to get more women into tech starts and getting young girls interested in technology, is important to us. We know we work best when we have broader perspectives, inclusivity, and diverse representation in our team. We’re incredibly proud to be able to support Spartans and look forward to cheering the team on from the sideline.”
Kat Smart
Willow Den Outdoor Nursery opens at The Academy Spartans Community Football Academy offers much more than football. Spartans are mindful of the challenges facing many children, young people, and their families in the local area. By adding an outdoor nursery to existing facilities and community coaching programmes, Willow Den and Spartans can support even more children to change their lives through active outdoor play and sport. Willow Den at Spartans will provide early learning and childcare based on ‘Realising the Ambition’ and the Scottish Government’s Curriculum for Excellence in a way that prepares children for school, and for life. Children engage in play-based learning, in spaces where they have adventures, use their imagination, build, design and create, develop their curiosity and language skills through conversation and asking questions. Children will make mud pies and maps, follow paths, find and create dens and special places. With base camp located in The Spartans Community Football Academy, there will be plenty of opportunities for children to engage in physical play and learning through sport if they choose to do so. There will also be access to the woodland behind The Academy through the ‘secret gate,’ where children will be able to explore a natural environment. Through positive experiences and interactions with skilled early years staff, children learn early literacy, numeracy, science, art, and technology. Most of all, we offer learning through play that builds confidence and self-esteem, in a fun, caring, and stimulating environment.
Position
Team
Played
Won
Draw
Lose
GD
Points
1
Glasgow City F.C.
1
1
0
0
6
3
2
Hibernian Women
1
1
0
0
3
3
3
Celtic Women
1
1
0
0
2
3
4
Hamilton Academical
1
1
0
0
1
3
5
Partick Thistle
0
0
0
0
0
0
6
Rangers Women
0
0
0
0
0
0
7
Heart of Midlothian
1
0
0
1
-1
0
8
Aberdeen Women
1
0
0
1
-2
0
9
Spartans F.C.
1
0
0
1
-3
0
10
Motherwell Women
1
0
0
1
-6
0
Played
Won
Draw
Lose
GD
Points
Position
Team
1
Dundee United W.F.C.
1
1
0
0
4
3
2
Boroughmuir Thistle F.C.
1
1
0
0
3
3
3
Glasgow Girls & Women
1
1
0
0
1
3
4
Queens Park W.F.C.
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
Kilmarnock F.C. Women
1
0
0
1
-1
0
6
St Johnstone W.F.C.
1
0
0
1
-3
0
7
Stirling University W.F.C.
1
0
0
1
-4
0
Lowland League | Sammy’s delight as Dish serves up Derby winner Spartans earned the North Edinburgh bragging rights as they won 1-2 against Civil Service Strollers in an eventful afternoon in Muirhouse. Michael Bolochoweckyj returned to the heart of the Spartans defence following his recent suspension and he put in a Man of the Match winning performance against a Civil side who finished the match with 10 men following the late dismissal of Joao Balde. The match was barely minutes old when an audacious effort by the Spartans Trialist keeper saw his free-kick from deep inside his own half spot his opposite number off his line. An opportunity on the half hour mark saw some neat exchanges between Jamie Dishington and Aaron Murrell who combined to set up Sam Jones only for his effort to be blocked and cleared. A well timed last ditch challenge by Michael Bolochoweckyj most certainly denied Strollers an ideal opportunity for the opener as he stopped an attack on the periphery of his own 18 yard box. It proved to be a vital stop, when, just three minutes before the break, Aaron Murrell latched on to a long ball from his keeper before teeing himself up to send a powerful low drive beyond Whyte to give Spartans the lead at half time. HT: Civil Service Strollers 0-1 The Spartans Ian McFarland was first to be pinged when the ball touched his arm when he was in the ground. Then, at the other end, there was more than a strong call for a Spartans penalty as the ball appeared to hit an arm of a horizontal Stroller inside his box in a mirror like incident. With a bit of a midfield war of attrition breaking out, a long ball was sent deep into the Spartans box. It took a deflection off a defender en route which appear to flummox the keeper who could only watch as the ball spun out of his grasp and into the net. The game entered its final ten minutes with a possible share of the Derby spoils on the cards, but seasoned campaigners would be foolish to predict an outcome so early based on recent fixtures between the sides. With 81 minutes on the clock, Spartans regained the lead. Sam Jones passed the ball to Scott Maxwell inside the Strollers box. He quickly played in Jamie Dishington who took a touch with the head before sending an unstoppable shot into the bottom corner. After five nail biting squeekybumtime additional minutes, Referee Gall put an end to it all and Spartans held on to secure three points that sees them move into 3rd spot in the table. FT: Civil Service Strollers 1-2 The Spartans
Photos courtesy of Craig Doyle Media
1. Alicia YATES (GK) 2. Louise MASON 3. Sarah CLELLAND 4. Simone MCMAHON 5. Dion MCMAHON 6. Ellie SIMPSON 7. Lisa RYAN 8. Katie FREW 9. Ronaigh DOUGLAS 10. Jade STENHOUSE 11. Alana MARSHALL © 13. Rachel HARRISON (GK) 14. Tegan REYNOLDS 15. Caley Gibb
1. Charlotte Parker Smith (GK) 2. Claire Delworth 3. Beth McKay 4. Murron Cunningham 5. Georgia Hunter 6. Tegan Browning 7. Monica Forsyth 8. Mariel Kaney © 9. Lia Tweedie 10. Jennifer Smith 11. Clare Williamson 13. Ailey Tebbett (GK) 13. Holly Aitchison 16. Erin Sheehan
16. Rosie MCQUILLAN 17. Robyn MCCAFFERTY 18. Rebecca GAILBRAITH 19. Elena SANTOYO-BROWN 24. Katherine SMART
19. Lisa Rogers (GK)
25. Katie REILLY
51. Eilidh Begg
18. Amelie Birse 22. Eilidh Davies 25. Shona Cowan 55. Aimee Anderson
www.spartansfcwomen.com