Twenty talented players took part in a special STEM careers and sport event at Hampden Park – courtesy of ScottishPower, Principal Partner of Scottish Women’s Football.
Giffnock Soccer Centre girls were joined by SWPL player Gillian Inglis from Motherwell FC, Aileen Campbell, CEO of Scottish Women’s Football and Rachel Hollinger, Early Careers Manager at ScottishPower for a discussion and Q&A session focusing on STEM careers.
Hosted by Eilidh Barbour – one of the country’s leading sports broadcasters and presenters – the session gave the girls a chance to hear tips and advice for getting to the top of your game and gave an insight into the wealth of career opportunities that STEM industries can offer.
Barbour said: “My advice would be if you have a dream, go for it. Whether that’s through sport or something completely different. There’s nothing stopping girls now going out and achieving their dreams and the fact that the opportunities are there, and the investment is there is so important.”
The girls then enjoyed a practical careers session with ScottishPower Senior Recruitment Consultant, Steven McFaulds, on what to consider when thinking about the career path you want to follow, top tips on how to stand out from the crowd when applying for jobs, and how to showcase your potential to future employers.
After a careers-focused morning, the girls took to the pitch for the second half of the event at neighbouring Toryglen Football Centre where they showed off their sporting skills and competitive drive, taking on each other in a mini five-a-side football tournament to finish their day in style.
Julie Keough, Brand Director at ScottishPower, said: “This event was a brilliant example of how we’re working with SWF and the SWPL to help create opportunities, break down barriers, and achieve a positive and lasting impact for women and girls in sport and STEM. We’ve been supporting women and girls’ football across Scotland for two years now and it’s been phenomenal to see the growth in the game – both on and off the pitch.
“As well as being future sporting stars, these girls are also the workforce of the future, so it was great to get a chance to talk about STEM and what careers outside of football could look like. As a major employer in Scotland, encouraging more women to consider STEM careers is a key focus for us and I’ve no doubt we’ll see some of these girls playing their part in delivering a cleaner, greener and better future for us all in the years to come.”
Some of the positive feedback from the Giffnock girls on the day included:
- “I do want to try for something in football and it just gives me a variety of different jobs that I could do.”
- “Football has a lot of good characteristics that are good for a job like teamwork and leadership.”
- “There was a lot of good knowledge to take in for the future.”
Motherwell FC’s Gillian Inglis summed up the impact of the day, saying: “I’ve really enjoyed the day – I would have loved an opportunity like this when I was younger. They are the future of girls and women’s football.”