20th. June 2008
Edinburgh Ladies came to the end of their short two year existence as a successful Scottish League side when they held their annual awards presentation to honour last season’s players.
Louise Young was voted the club’s Player of the Year and was presented with her award by David McLaughlin and Joy Glass representing the team’s sponsor, Scott & Co.
Hayley Lauder, in her first season at senior level, was presented with the third place trophy in the Players’ Player Awards, with Louise Young in second place and Siobhan Rooney receiving the top accolade from her team mates.
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On behalf of the club, coach Carson Ralton thanked main sponsors Scott & Co. for their magnificent support of women’s football. Scott & Co first put their support behind Edinburgh Ladies F.C. two years ago. They have continued their involvement with the women’s team in providing full training and playing kit for players and coaches alike in Spartan’s colours for the new season. |
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Ralton commented “All these players are dedicated athletes and superb role models for the many young girls playing football in schools and clubs all over Scotland. They are promoting a healthier life style to today’s youth and we are delighted that Scott & Co. are continuing to invest in that future, for which we are extremely grateful”.
During the presentation evening Ralton took time to wish Spartan’s Under 19 internationalists Molly McKean, Stacey Calder and Hayley Lauder success at the forthcoming U19 UEFA European Championship Finals to be played in France. Scotland are in group B along with holders Germany Sweden and England and their first game is against Sweden on July 7th. The other Group A consists of hosts France, Spain, Italy and Norway.
Best wishes also went out to Spartan’s Jo Hutcheson, Diana Barry and Siobhan Rooney following their inclusion in the Scotland Under 23 squad for the Nordic tournament to be held in Sweden commencing July 15th. The Scots play Sweden first followed by Germany and Finland. Ralton went on to praise goalkeeper Jo Hutcheson for her achievements with the full National squad last season. During her impressive international debut against Canada, who are ranked 9th. in the world by FIFA, Jo kept a clean sheet and was instrumental in helping Scotland achieve a 2-0 victory.
Edinburgh Ladies have now moved to Spartan’s FC where they will play their football at the new £3.3 million Spartan’s Community Sports Academy at Ainslie Park in North Edinburgh. Ralton reflected on Edinburgh Ladies’ two seasons in the top flight of women’s football stating :-
"We have performed magnificently well during these two seasons; 3rd. and 4th. place respective Premier League finishes, despite having a very young side, were great achievements with the highlight being a 4-1 Premier League Cup Final victory over city rivals Hibernian Ladies. Of course this is not the time to rest on our laurels and we will strive to improve further.
Firstly the move to Spartan’s is a huge step towards realising these improvements; to be part of a big successful club set up has always been one of our ambitions and we are delighted that it is now a reality.
Secondly the appointment of new player and head coach Shelley Kerr is another giant stride towards our goal of taking Spartan’s all the way to the top of the women’s game in Scotland. Shelley is the current Scotland captain and a highly regarded player and coach who will be looking to build further on the many achievements she has gained to date. We are all looking forward to working with and supporting Shelley in this new challenge. Spartan’s FC have welcomed us onboard with open arms and we are all eager to be representing this fantastic club during these exciting times and for many years to come”.
In addition to the Premier League team, Spartans will field a second women’s team in the shape of Royal High Thistle who are joining the Spartan’s family and will be playing in the Scottish Women’s Football League Division Two. Spartan’s are also making progress in building a player pathway with Under 11, 13 and 15 teams for the coming season and those interested in either playing or becoming involved should E-Mail :- contact@spartanswfc.com
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