SCOTLAND coach Anna Signeul believes Hearts' owner Ann Budge and Hibs chief executive Leeann Dempster can help to eventually establish a professional Scottish Women's Premier League.

Naming her 21-player squad for next Thursday's friendly against Australia at Falkirk Stadium, Signeul said: "Hearts and Hibs are investing more and want to increase the support to their women's teams. I spoke to Ann Budge on Friday and she didn't initially know the Hearts women's team was not really attached to the club.

"Hibs have taken the women into their academy this year, and Hearts are doing that also. Celtic have said they really want to invest in the women's game now. Football in Scotland is huge so I definitely think there is potential (for a professional women's league)."

All but four of the 18 outfield players named in the Australia squad play outwith Scotland on professional contracts. The remainder are with Glasgow City. As was seen in their two Champions League quarter final games against Paris Saint-Germain, the club which totally dominates Scottish domestic football struggled to compete against the fully-professional French side, who have an annual budget of £7.5m.

Signeul pointed out that English clubs like Manchester City and Chelsea are likely to catch up quickly with the top French and German sides, having hugely increased their investments in women's football. As with PSG, the women are treated equally at these clubs.

"In England they have now embraced the women's teams into their men's academies," Signeul said. "Previously they were part of the community programme, as is the case here at many of the Premiership clubs.

"What they are doing in England is top class. Chelsea have a budget which has increased in zeros in a couple of years.

"The problem is that globally women's football has the same issues as men's football. In England they have signed these fantastic (broadcasting) contracts involving massive amounts of money - and that has a positive effect on the women's set up. It's easy to say we should do the same, but do Celtic, Hearts and Rangers have the same amounts of money?

"If there is a problem with investment and resources into men's football in Scotland, that affects the women's game as well. What you can do is take them into the academy programmes.

"I spoke to Leanne Dempster in the autumn. They want to make women's football better at Hibs but there is still a lot of investment that is needed."

The Australia match is one of two Signeul's side will play before the 2017 European Championship qualifiers get underway in September. The other is an away friendly against France at the end of next month.

Next Thursday's opponents have spent the last six weeks playing in the Cyprus Cup before moving to Italy for an intensive training camp at an Australian Institute of Sport base there. They remain tenth in the latest Fifa rankings, while Scotland are still 21st.

The sides have met three times, with a win apiece and a draw. The most recent game was in last year's Cyprus Cup when Scotland won 4-2 thanks to a hat-trick from Jane Ross and an early goal from Lisa Evans.

It is Australia's last game before they play the United States in their opening Women's World Cup game in June.

There is no place in the squad for goalkeeper Lee Alexander despite her heroics in Glasgow City's best-ever Champions League campaign. The club's No 2 keeper, teenager Megan Cunningham, is included as back up to Gemma Fay and Shannon Lynn.

"Megan is there to get experience and to learn," Signeul said. Julie Fleeting remains injured and is not in the squad.