New association signals step in the right direction for female football

The formation of an Orkney women’s football association is set to usher in a new era for the sport, and drive the development of the game locally.

Hailed as a significant step forward for the sport, the move to form a fully constituted association is set to become the bedrock for the sport to flourish for years to come.

It is anticipated that the association will lead the progress of the sport and oversee an Orkney women’s side to compete not only at an inter-county level, but also at future International Island Games, including in Orkney in 2023.

The association is set to be named Orkney Female Football Association (OFFA).

A meeting to discuss the association’s formation will now take place on Thursday, April 2, at 6pm, at the KGS.

Individuals interested in helping the sport to new levels — whether they be involved in the sporting community or not — are being encouraged to attend the meeting.

The sport has grown exponentially in recent years, with the World Cup held last year in France a record-breaker in terms of global exposure.

Locally, the sport is booming.

Two club sides — Orkney Women’s Football Club and Kirkwall City Ladies Football Club — compete in the nine-team Highlands and Islands League. Youth team Strom-West also offers a pathway for young girls to develop to senior football.

Kirsty Brown, who plays for Kirkwall City, explained: “Women’s football in Orkney, over the last couple of years, has taken a massive step.

“We’ve seen the development of Kirkwall City, in addition to Orkney Women’s Football Club, and the logical step now is try and come together, get as strong as we possibly can, and to get inter-county and Island Games going.

“2023 is a massive step ahead of us. It’s not that long away, so we definitely need to work together and see what we can do.

“There’s fantastic players in both sides. It’s great that we’ve got two clubs. It’s completely needed for the number of players in Orkney. Both teams are in the Highlands and Islands League this year, playing 16 matches each.

“That’s a massive opportunity for the girls and women in Orkney to play competitively, but the association will bring these two teams together and form an even stronger squad who can play on an inter-county level.

“The meeting itself is an initial AGM. We would really like to be in a position where we could form a committee, officially start the association, and move forward in the best way possible for the future of football.”

Developing Orkney as a county squad and an Island Games regular will take time, effort and commitment.

Like many sports, women’s football is now putting the building blocks in place for a successful Games in 2023, but early discussions are taking place in regards to sending a side to the 2021 Games in Guernsey.

Nicola Croy, who plays her football for Orkney Women’s, said: “The 2021 Games will be an eye-opener. There’s a lot of great teams out there, so it will show Orkney how much we need to come together as an Island Games team and prepare ourselves for our home 2023 Games.

“Once this committee is set up, we can start with developing the county and Island Games team.”

Among the positions to fill will be coach of the new county side, tasked with guiding the development of the team and leading the team to success.

And in a bid to expand the playing pool even further, women who may not be playing league football currently are still encouraged to attend the meeting in April.

Brown added: “There is a magnitude of abilities out there in Orkney and they’re maybe not playing.

“Anybody that wants to get involved in any way, come along on April 2. It’s a fantastic opportunity for girls and Orkney in general.”