Player Transfers to England Seen as Positive for Scottish Women’s Football
Players moving to England can still benefit women’s football in Scotland, according to SWPL managing director Fiona McIntyre. This summer has seen second-tier Ipswich Town acquire six players from the SWPL, highlighting a trend of athletes choosing to compete in English leagues.
Celtic’s Emma Lawton has joined the Tractor Girls, alongside Hearts players Georgia Hunter, Bayley Hutchinson, and Georgia Timms, as well as Hibernian’s Rosie Livingston and Eilidh Adams. Hibernian has also lost key striker Kathleen McGovern to Newcastle United, while Mia MCaulay has transferred from Rangers to WSL side Aston Villa.
McIntyre acknowledges that while such transfers are a natural outcome given the financial advantages of the English leagues, she hopes Scottish clubs will start benefiting from larger fees for developing talent. “We don’t want to lose talent, but being on the border of one of the best-resourced leagues in the world reflects positively on our standard,” she noted during the new season launch.
She added that the ideal scenario would be for top players to remain in Scotland. “Our priority is ensuring the SWPL maintains high standards, but we recognize that if players have opportunities in such a well-resourced league, it’s understandable.”
While the majority of summer transfers were made under freedom of contract with no compensation, McIntyre sees potential for growth in this area. “We’re not yet actively creating revenue through player trading, but that will develop over time,” she explained.
Moreover, McIntyre stressed that the departure of seasoned players opens doors for emerging talent. “Take Hearts in the Champions League qualifiers, for example; they have young players stepping up and performing exceptionally well,” she said. “These opportunities arise because of players moving on.”
In the long run, McIntyre believes that while some talent may leave, it could ultimately benefit the national team and help foster a vibrant pool of young Scottish players.
The SWPL 2026-27 season kicks off on Sunday, August 16.
Players flocking to ply their trade in England can still be a positive for women’s football in Scotland, insists SWPL managing director Fiona McIntyre.
Second tier Ipswich Town alone have snapped up six players from the SWPL this summer, part of a wider trend of players heading south.
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Celtic’s Emma Lawton has joined the Tractor Girls along with Hearts trio Georgia Hunter, Bayley Hutchinson and Georgia Timms and Hibernian pair Rosie Livingston and Eilidh Adams.
Hibs have also lost influential striker Kathleen McGovern to Newcastle United in the same division, while Mia MCaulay has departed Rangers for WSL side Aston Villa.
McIntyre says these transfers are inevitable given the resources in England, but hopes Scottish clubs will start to receive larger fees for developing players.
“We don’t want to lose talent, but when you’re on the border of one of the best resourced leagues in the world, the fact they’re coming to Scotland is a real positive in the sense it reflects well on the standard we have,” McIntyre said, speaking at the new season launch.
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“In an ideal world we want the best players to stay in Scotland, of course we do.
“Our priority is that the SWPL has a really high standard but we’re not naive and if there’s opportunities for players to go down south and play in a league that is so well resourced then we absolutely accept that.
“As long as the clubs get a financial reward for that then that’s something that can become part of the economic model of women’s football.”
That aspect is something McIntyre thinks “will grow” but the majority of summer moves to England were under freedom of contract, with no compensation required.
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“We’re not yet, from a club perspective, really creating a lot through player trading,” she explained. “That will come in time and will be a new revenue source.”
McIntyre also stressed that the recent departures will provide openings for others to step up and gain valuable experience.
“Look at Hearts in the Champions League qualifiers with some really young players and doing fantastically well,” she said. “Those opportunities, to some degree, come about because other players have left.
“So I think you have to see the positive and how we can use it to make Scotland a real hotbed of talent.
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“Some of it may leave and that may benefit the national team, and when players leave it creates opportunity for young Scottish players to really get a chance.”
The SWPL 2026-27 season kicks-off on Sunday 16 August.
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