Sutherland Women are set to make history in Lochinver on Sunday when they play first Highlands and Islands League match in the village
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SUTHERLAND Women are set to make history as they will play their first ever match in Lochinver.
Sutherland will be taking on Ross and Cromarty at Culag Park in Lochinver on Sunday at 2pm.
It is the first official league match which will be taking place in the West coast village.
The club traditionally play their home fixtures in Helmsdale and Golspie, but are keen to promote the women’s game across the entire county of Sutherland.
Player Franci Hutchison, who comes from Lochinver, says it is hoped that by playing on the west coast it will inspire more girls and women to take up the game.
She said: “Something I find really important about this game being played in Lochinver is that it lets girls and women in my village know that they can play football if they want to.
“It can be difficult for young girls to believe that unless they see it there in front of them on their home turf.
“I grew up playing football with my brothers and throughout primary and high school with girls and boys my age.
“When we reached the later years of primary school we had the chance to play in a competition called the Kyle Cup once a year.
“The girls and boys were segregated into football for the boys and basketball for the girls. I loved basketball, but remember feeling the injustice, even at a young age, of not being allowed to take part in the football. Things have come a long way since then and now young girls have much better opportunity to get involved in fun and competitive ways.”
Sutherland Women were established in 2020 and won the Highlands and Islands League Cup in 2021.
They are currently in second place in the Highlands and Islands League, three points behind Ross and Cromarty.
Hutchison said the club have received a lot support from the Lochinver community to allow the match to take place in the village.
She also said the whole county have supported the club since they have been established.
“We are really lucky to have sponsors for all our players and to have benefited from sponsorship for each of our games.
“This helps us cover our costs including travel, refs, hospitality, medical supplies, training resources, kits etc. As expected, the Lochinver community has done us proud and pulled out all the stops to make the fixture in the village a possibility.
“This sense of community makes me proud to represent Lochinver within Sutherland and I am sure this enthusiasm is echoed throughout the team with women from villages such as Dornoch, Tain, Golspie and Helmsdale. Despite living in the Ross and Cromarty catchment area, we have been lucky to have some involvement from Ullapool players too.”
