FOLLOWING Tuesday’s welcome news that the Scottish Building Society SWPL1 clubs could resume training and playing, my understanding is that the first round of games is scheduled to be played on April 4.
Glasgow City were first to react, holding a training session on Thursday. They tested their players on Wednesday but had to wait 24 hours for the results before being allowed to recommence.
The return would have been, in particular, a massive relief to the 11 players from outwith Scotland in the City squad. Separated from their families, and in one case a husband, their only purpose for being in Glasgow is to play football.
Instead, and as a result of the Scottish FA’s “three-week” suspension of football which kicked in on January 11, they have been in limbo in a foreign country.
Costa Rica striker Priscila Chinchilla is more fortunate in that she only recently arrived in Scotland, having been involved in two friendlies against Mexico late last month.
Celtic tested their players yesterday and expect to have their first training session today.
Rangers, who were leading City on goal difference when the last games were played on December 13, will also return imminently.
These three clubs have plenty of incentive to get back up and running because at least two rounds of fixtures – 14 games – have to be played to determine Scotland’s two Champions League entries for 2021-22. Celtic are only two points behind their two rivals.
What is apparent, with relegation not being in play this season, is that some clubs may not have the same motivation to return quickly. That’s because of the high cost of PCR testing which, unfortunately, is a prerequisite for football re-starting.
Scottish Women’s Football has calculated that £117,000 will have to be spent on these tests during the first nine-week period. This would involve 25 players and staff at each of the eight clubs being tested once a week – at a cost of £65 a head, and even that is based on a discount SWF receive from a testing company.
That £117,000 will reduce to £67,000 if SWF use the £50,000 of Fifa funding it is expected to receive from the SFA and allocate it to the eight clubs. That would leave each of the clubs needing to find £8,375 for testing.
While that sounds onerous, especially for the clubs which are community based, all eight recently banked £9,000 of Scottish Government relief money. And although it is probably galling to have to spend almost all of this on testing, the far bigger picture is that women’s football needs to have a visible presence again.
The £8,375 is also a worst case scenario to get two rounds of fixtures played. With Covid cases and deaths falling as the vaccination programme is being rolled out, there are hopes that the Scottish Government will allow much cheaper lateral flow testing to replace the PCR version next month.
This would need to happen if all 21 scheduled games in SWPL1 can be played. Should the government insist on continuing with PCR testing then the league is almost certain to be decided on the basis of 14 games.
While not ideal, it was agreed by the clubs last year as an acceptable basis on which to call the season.
It also, crucially, allows the Champions League places to be determined – and that benefits everybody as participation money flows down to all the clubs.
WHILE the top eight clubs can return, unfortunately the same will not be happening for the 10 in SWPL2. Nor those in Championship North and South, who, disastrously, haven’t played a game for more than a year.
Scottish Women’s Football pushed for SWPL2 to return at the same time as the top division, but the government’s phased return didn’t allow for it to happen.
It’s a huge blow for clubs and players who observed all the protocols from October to December, yet still find themselves unable to resume.
Lateral flow testing would presumably allow a re-start. The clubs have already played 10 games and need to play a minimum of 18 to decide which two will be promoted.
Aberdeen, who are seven points clear, look certain to be one, with Dundee United, Hamilton, Partick Thistle and St Johnstone among those also hoping to go up.
Hamilton assistant manager Bobby Watson, who is the SWPL representative on the league management committee, said: “It’s about getting everyone back if we can. We can’t forget that there are a significant amount of our elite players who are still not playing football.”
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