SCOTTISH Women’s Football (SWF) has been given a £250,000 boost by an Edinburgh philanthropist.
Fund manager James Anderson has donated a quarter of a million pound to Scottish Football Partnership Trust, to help sustain the women’s game through the covid crisis.
The announcement was made today, with the sum expected to rise to £312,000 once Gift Aid has been processed.
James Clydesdale, chair of the SFP Trust, said he was “delighted” with the donation.
He added: “The women’s game has been making great progress in the last five years and we don’t want to see this momentum lost due to the covid crisis.
“The grant will be used to fund the sustainability of the women’s game to help the return to training and play and bolster the organisational set up.”
The money, which has been described as “the single biggest investment in SWF has seen” will go towards SWF and its 200 member clubs, trickling down to grass roots level.
Vivienne MacLaren, Chair of Scottish Women’s Football, said: “This support will help provide an incredibly powerful message to all girls and women in Scotland that their sport matters and has not been forgotten in the midst of this pandemic.
“We are very grateful to James Anderson for recognising this.
“As well as the loss of revenues, the inability to play also results in an increasing invisibility of the sport which has grown significantly in recent years, with the Women’s World Cup in 2019 a particular catalyst for improving perceptions and visibility.
“We are delighted that we are able to deliver this funding via the SFP Trust and thank them for their support.”
James Anderson said he was inspired to donate by the “incredible progress” the game is making.
He explained: “Football is at the heart of communities across Scotland and the women’s game is a key part of this.”
