Buchan Girls Under 14s have scored vital new equipment for its players after being nominated for a prize giveaway from SWPL Principal Partner ScottishPower by Aberdeen Women Captain Hannah Stewart.
The donation is part of ScottishPower’s ongoing commitment to help community teams thrive by providing essential equipment that promotes participation and inclusion at every level of the game.
The leading renewable energy company is the exclusive Principal Partner for Scottish Women’s Football and the Scottish Women’s Premier League and is dedicated to supporting the women’s game from grassroots to elite.
To help community clubs thrive, the firm is providing 6 x kit packages to grassroots clubs featuring bibs, cones, water bottles and Puma footballs (sized for U14s). It is also providing 10 pairs of brand-new Puma football boots to help clubs support players with any financial barriers to participation.
It asked the SWPL1 and SWPL2 players who’d come through the grassroots pyramid to come along and support a community club they value for their work to further the develop the game.
Hannah Stewart, who recently penned a two-year extension with the Dons that will see her remain with the Club until at least the summer of 2027, nominated Buchan as it’s the club where she first started her footballing journey.
She visited a Buchan training session to handover the kit alongside Heather McDonald, Corporate Affairs Manager with ScottishPower. Buchan also received tickets to an Aberdeen game and travelled to see Hannah play in her recent SWPL match against Montrose.
She said: “It’s really nice to come back and see how the club has grown. When I started playing there weren’t that many clubs to choose from but now the number of girls able to play football across the region is massive. It just shows it’s going in the right direction
“Having the right facilities and the right kit, like ScottishPower are providing giving to Buchan, can make the world of difference to players. They give up so much time to train and play, and they all want to be the best they can be. To do that, you need to have the right kit and hopefully the kit that ScottishPower have given them will help them do just that.”
Jamie Wilson, coach of Buchan U14s, said: “Weve got over 200 girls playing football at Buchan from under 6s all the way to u16s. That shows you the appetite for the game in the north east. It’s great to have ScottishPower supporting the u14s with this kit, it takes the pressure off them and off the club too in terms of funding and providing it.
“This group of players really deserve all the support we can give them. They train in the rain, they train in the snow, and if we can help them go all the way to elite football, then we’d be delighted.
“Thanks to ScottishPower, we’ll be taking them along to an Aberdeen game soon too and hopefully seeing Hannah playing in the SWPL having started at Buchan, will inspire them to do the same.”
The kit giveaway comes as ScottishPower works closely with both SWF and the SWPL to invest in supporting the continued growth of the women’s game.
Keith Anderson, Chief Executive of ScottishPower, said: “We want to energise women’s football for both current and future generations and build a community of players that inspire even more people to play and enjoy the game.
“That means working with our partners at SWF and the SWPL to help clubs and players overcome barriers to their growth and operation which can sometimes be as simple has everyone having the right kit, all the way down to bibs, balls and boots.
“Grassroots football is the heartbeat of our communities. We’re proud to play our part in helping these clubs continue to inspire, develop talent, and bring people together. This donation reflects our commitment to making a positive difference where it matters most.”