A SCOTTISH internationalist footballer is to join her brother in forging a future in France.
Jenny Beattie has left Arsenal and signed a two-year deal with Montpellier, where her brother, Johnnie, also a Scottish internationalist, plays for the city's rugby team.
Beattie, 22, believes the move represents another step in a burgeoning career. "I had been at Arsenal for four years and I felt I needed another challenge," she said. Capped 68 times for her country, she is now setting her sights on Champions League football.
"Montpellier finished fourth last season and the top two qualify for the Champions League, so that is not an unrealistic ambition," she said.
She has visited the city to stay with her brother, who joined Montpellier last year after eight years with Glasgow Warriors. "It is a wonderful city and when the chance came to sign for the football club I did not hesitate," she said.
Beattie graduated last year with a business degree from Hertfordshire University and now has the chance to see how far her career can progress in an exciting time for women's football. Her involvement in the sport began when she played football with her brother and his friends but she quickly developed into an outstanding performer, playing in the Scottish Women's Premier League as a 15-year-old with Queen's Park before moving on to Celtic and then Arsenal.
"I will head over to France shortly for pre-season training," said Beattie, who believes the women's game has developed technically in recent years. "It is simply a matter of training," she said. "The skills have been gained by players because there are now dedicated programmes for young girls, allowing them to play the game and to be coached from a younger age. The exciting, skilful product we are seeing now is a direct result of that."
Beattie, a seasoned internationalist at a young age, now has the opportunity to take her career to a new level. Her first task will be to help Montpellier challenge Lyon, who have won the Division 1 Feminine for six consecutive seasons and are ranked the best team in Europe despite losing the Champions League final to Wolfsburg in May.
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