Players from clubs across the Highlands and Islands League explain why football fans should support the division in 2024.
Category
đź—ž
NewsTranscript
00:00 Why should people come along and support Highlands and Islands League?
00:02 I appreciate that's maybe a big question. Why should they come and support us? Because it's
00:08 good to watch and obviously it's like we need the support. It doesn't really get recognised
00:13 that period I've noticed as much as down like the central belt and that and they'll enjoy it.
00:19 Women's football is good and well and obviously as you can see it's coming more and more on the
00:25 TV now for the English Premiership. It'll boost the girls confidence as well.
00:31 Don't know, just because you should support your local ladies team.
00:37 No, I think it's yeah we've sort of shown that we can be as interesting. People which I think
00:46 have come along in the last year to watch us have actually been really surprised. I think they've
00:52 maybe underestimated us and then they come along and actually find oh you know what actually you
00:58 know women maybe can play football and yeah they're a bit surprised. So yeah give us a chance
01:03 you know don't just support the local men's teams come and support your local women's team.
01:07 It's a developing league for women's football. It's an area that's never been huge here in
01:18 in the Highlands. Women's football has kind of always fallen to the wayside in my opinion.
01:22 So I think it's just amazing the exposure that we're starting to get and I think it's really
01:28 important especially for young players and a diverse group of players as well. Like everyone's
01:34 always welcome and it's just nice to see that and the progression that's happening with women's
01:38 football. I used to play a boys team because there was no football at all so it's great to see women's
01:44 football growing. So I think it's really important women's football is massive but it's only going
01:52 to get bigger and to be able to do that in the Highlands and Islands is fantastic because it's
01:59 an area where you have to travel a bit more. There's not that support in terms of you can pop
02:06 out five minutes and be there you do have to and also just to encourage the girls to keep going
02:12 to make it bigger and the bigger you make it the better it'll become. Because it's a small league
02:18 and it makes such a difference for local folk to come and support their local teams it gives the
02:26 teams a bit of a boost and gives it a little bit of recognition as well because our biggest women's
02:32 team here is probably Inverness Cali Thistles so if they can play Rangers why can't we do that?
02:38 Exactly. But yeah just support local and that was the slogan during Covid so keep it going.
02:45 It's just a great advert for women's football in the area. I mean when I was growing up there
02:52 wasn't anything for my age and now we've got a league of our own and we've got a lot of the
02:58 teams have got youth developments coming up so yeah get out and support the local ladies.