Budding female footballers in Lanarkshire have been dealt a blow after a girls club was forced to close - just after securing funding that would have ensured no fees for players.
Rutherglen Girls FC have stated a lack of players has caused them to close after several years of providing a club for local lasses.
The team, who covered several age categories, were the only girls team in the Rutherglen area, and were established in 2012 by Brian O'Neill, after he couldn't find any local teams for his daughter to play in.
A club statement said: "We are very sad to announce that this week sees the end of Rutherglen Ladies Football Club as we are no longer able to gather a squad for the remainder of the season.
"We would like to thank every person who has been involved with the club over the past 11 years since we started. Everyone has played their part whether it be as a player, coach, committee member or parent.
"All of your support has helped the club grow and hasn’t gone unnoticed.
"We’ve had a lot more good days than bad and this season especially has seen our ladies play some of their best football and have some of their best results ever.
"A big thanks goes to all of the teams we have played against over the years, we’ve enjoyed the challenges that we’ve faced along the way.
"The biggest thanks of all goes to Brian, the club would never have become what it was without his determination to give all the girls and ladies a supportive environment where they could develop themselves not only as players but as people too.
"We hope everyone is happy and healthy in the future, and we’ll always have the best memories from our time together at Rutherglen."
After being contacted by Lanarkshire Live, the club added they had secured Lottery funding earlier this year to ensure players at the club wouldn't have had to fork out fees.
They added: "We had just secured lottery funding to allow us not to charge any of the girls fees for the rest of the season but there was just not enough committed players for us to continue.
"We’d just like to thank all players, coaches, parents and sponsors that have kept us going over the years."
The news comes just as the women's game is expected to enjoy a popularity boost following the recent Women's Euro 2022 held in England, with the host nation triumphing 2-1 in Sunday's final against Germany before nearly 90,000 fans at Wembley.
A TV audience peaked at 17.4 million for the final.
Rutherglen MSP Clare Haughey said the news was a blow for the local sports scene.
She told us: "It is a real shame to see Rutherglen Girls FC fold.
"The team will have been a key part to the lives of many girls and women, and so I wish them and the coaches well.
"Girls’ and women’s football has grown immeasurably over recent years, but we know participation levels are still a long way off those in the men’s game.
"Hopefully tournaments like Euro 2022 will further promote and develop girls’ and women’s football here in Scotland."
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