Celtic F.C. Women

Celtic Football Club Women is a Scottish professional association football team, the women's section of Celtic Football Club. They play in the Scottish Women's Premier League, the top division of women's football in Scotland. They compete as Celtic FC, and are normally called the 'women's first team' within the club.[1] In December 2018 they announced their intentions to become the first professional women's football team in Scotland with the transition completed in January 2020.

Celtic Women
Celtic crest
Full nameCeltic Football Club
Founded2007
GroundExcelsior Stadium, Airdrie
PatronElaine C. Smith
ManagerFran Alonso
LeagueSWPL 1
2022–23SWPL 1, 2nd of 12
WebsiteClub website

History

For the first 120 years of its existence, Celtic only fielded male football teams. In the early 1960s, Rose Reilly was noticed by a Celtic scout who wanted to sign her, but the scout found out she was female and withdrew the offer.[2] A women's section was established in June 2007 when Celtic took over Arsenal North L.F.C.,[3] founding a Girls and Women's Football Academy at the same time.[4]

Celtic reached the Scottish Women's Cup final in their inaugural year, losing 3–1 to Hibernian after extra time in May 2008.[5][6] The team's first silverware arrived two years later as Spartans were beaten 4–1 in the final of the 2010 Scottish Women's Premier League Cup.[7]

In October 2012 Celtic were ejected from the Scottish Women's Cup: they had tried to force the postponement of a quarter final with Glasgow City, but the SWF did not accept Celtic's reason and instead awarded the tie to Glasgow.[8] In August 2013, Celtic faced being thrown out of the national Cup for the second successive season, following a complaint from beaten second round opponents Forfar Farmington: Celtic won the match 5–2, but had named former player Emily Thomson as a substitute in a bid to cup-tie her for the season at her new club, rivals Glasgow City.[9]

At the end of the 2014 season, Celtic saw an exodus of established first team players and promising young prospects, with a number of players making apparent their frustration at the lack of ambition on Celtic's part, as the club had been looking to cut back their involvement in the women's game. Having already lost players of the calibre of Leanne Crichton, Jen Beattie, Christie Murray and Joanne Love,[10] that year the likes of Gemma Fay, Rhonda Jones, Chloe Arthur and Heather Richards also headed for the exit door, while Scotland legends like Julie Fleeting and Suzanne Grant had not committed for the following season (the latter pair did both stay on, but left in 2015).[11][12]

Celtic reached their second SWPL Cup final in 2017 and their third in May 2018, but were beaten by Hibernian on both occasions; the latter match at Falkirk Stadium finished 9–0, and head coach David Haley said of his beleaguered players: "I'm sure they're as embarrassed as I am".[13] Later that month Haley stood down from first team coaching to concentrate on running the girls' academy.[14] Former Glasgow City coach Eddie Wolecki Black was appointed from Motherwell as his replacement.[15][16][17]

Celtic announced in December 2018 that their women's team players would be employed as full-time professionals, with the transition beginning in the 2019 season. In doing so, they became the first ever professional women's football team in Scotland.[18]

Among Wolecki Black's first three signings for the team was his wife, Emma Black.[19] Wolecki Black left his position at the end of the 2019 season, with the club stating in January 2020 they would make further investment to bolster the team's now confirmed status as a fully professional operation.[20][21]

Fran Alonso was appointed head coach in January 2020, having previously worked under Ronald Koeman at Everton and Mauricio Pochettino at Southampton.[22] In June 2021, Celtic achieved their best showing in the SWPL to date by finishing in runners-up for the third time, but by a margin of only three points to Glasgow City.[23][24][25][26] This saw them qualify for the following season's Champions League for the first time;[23][27] Celtic were subsequently eliminated from the Champions League at the first qualification round, losing 2–1 to Levante.[28] In December 2021, Celtic won the SWPL Cup by defeating Glasgow City 1–0 in the final, their first trophy since winning the same competition in 2010.[29] Caitlin Hayes scored the winning goal with a header from a Sarah Harkes free-kick, in a match that Celtic dominated and were unlucky not to score more.[30] This was followed by a first ever Scottish Cup victory, beating Glasgow City again, this time 3–2 after extra time.[31]

At the end of the 2022–23 season, Celtic came close to winning their first Scottish title. In a three-way decider on the final day of the SWPL season, Celtic had to defeat Hearts while hoping their rivals Rangers could hold Glasgow City to a draw at Ibrox. A Rangers victory would also have been enough for Celtic to clinch the championship, assuming they won their match by a margin larger than Rangers. With Celtic defeating Hearts 2–0 in front of a record attendance of 15,822 at Celtic Park, Glasgow City scored a 92nd-minute winner, taking the trophy away from Parkhead. [32] The following week, Celtic claimed the Women's Scottish Cup for a second time, beating Rangers 2–0 in front of a crowd of 10,446 at Hampden Park thanks to goals from Natasha Flint and Claire O'Riordan [33]

Stadium and facilities

Celtic had used East Kilbride's K-Park Training Academy as their home ground since 2015.[34]

From its inception in 2007, the team trained at the newly built Lennoxtown Training Centre outside Glasgow. In 2019, Celtic announced plans to redevelop their older Barrowfield training ground near Celtic Park for use by their youth academy and the women's team, including an indoor pitch and a matchday venue, augmenting the Lennoxtown base which would continue to be used by the men's first team squad.[35][36][37][38]

In July 2021, it was announced that the Women's team (as well as the men's B-team) would play the majority of their home fixtures in 2021–22 at Airdrie's Penny Cars Stadium.[39]

Players

Current squad
As of 27 September 2023[40]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Scotland SCO Chloe Logan
2 DF France FRA Celya Barclais
3 DF Guyana GUY Sydney Cummings
4 MF Scotland SCO Lisa Robertson
5 MF Scotland SCO Natalie Ross
6 DF Scotland SCO Chloe Craig
7 FW Scotland SCO Amy Gallacher
8 MF Scotland SCO Jenny Smith
9 MF China CHN Shen Mengyu
11 MF Scotland SCO Colette Cavanagh
12 FW United States USA Murphy Agnew
15 DF Scotland SCO Kelly Clark (captain)
16 DF United States USA Hana Kerner
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Caitlin Hayes
20 MF Spain ESP Paula Partido (on loan from Real Madrid Femenino)
21 FW United States USA Kit Loferski
22 MF England ENG Lucy Ashworth-Clifford
27 MF Scotland SCO Tiree Burchill
28 MF China CHN Shen Menglu
30 GK United States USA Kelsey Daugherty
41 MF Scotland SCO Clare Goldie
46 FW Scotland SCO Amy Sharkey
52 GK Scotland SCO Rachael Johnstone
67 DF Argentina ARG Luana Muñoz
73 MF Scotland SCO Maria McAneny
97 MF Morocco MAR Imane Addi

Player of the Year
Season Name Nationality Ref
2015 Kelly Clark Scotland[41]
2016 Mairead Fulton Scotland[42]
2017 Kerry Montgomery Northern Ireland[43]
2018 Natalie Ross Scotland[44]
2019 Keeva Keenan Ireland[45]
2022 Jacynta Galabadaarachchi Australia[46]
2023 Caitlin Hayes England[47]

Technical staff
Position Name
Manager Spain Fran Alonso
Assistant Manager Scotland David Haley
Coach Scotland Michael Tuohy
Goalkeeping Coach James Hynds
Performance Analyst Scotland Daniel Byrne
Sports Scientist Scotland Andy McKeown

Achievements

European history
Season Competition Round Opposition Result
2021–22 UEFA Women's Champions League R1 semi-final Spain Levante 1–2
R1 third-place play-off Belarus FC Minsk 2–3
2023–24 R1 semi-final Denmark Brøndby 1–0
R1 final Norway Vålerenga 2–2[lower-alpha 1]
  1. Lost on penalties

Managers

Former Dundee United player John Holt was the team's manager in their inaugural 2007–08 campaign.[49] Robert Docherty took charge between 2008 and 2012 and was succeeded by Peter Caulfield, who spent six months in position.[50] David Haley was then head coach for five years until stepping down in 2018 to head the club's women's academy.[51] Edward Gallagher, the Girls' Academy Manager was then appointed Interim 1st Team Manager. He was replaced by former Glasgow City manager Eddie Wolecki Black, who left 18 months later.[20]

See also

References
  1. "Celtic FC Women | First Team". celticfcwomen.celticfc.com.
  2. Turnbull, Simon (25 March 2007). "How the original Gregory's Girl lived her dream of dreams". The Independent. Archived from the original on 6 April 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  3. Montgomery, Laura (9 August 2007). "Women's football: SFA in charge as Celts join up". Glasgow Evening Times. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020.
  4. "Celtic women's academy is hailed". BBC Sport. 8 June 2007. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  5. "Cup returns to Edinburgh". The Herald. Scotland. 18 May 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  6. Wright, Angus (19 May 2008). "Hibernian Ladies 3 - 1 Celtic Ladies: Women's team show male counterparts how it's done". The Scotsman. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  7. "Celtic secure women's League Cup". BBC Sport. 13 May 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
  8. "Celtic 'concern' after being thrown out of Scottish Cup". BBC Sport. 17 October 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  9. "Celtic FC Women's Team could be thrown out of the Scottish Cup following player registration farce". Daily Record (Scotland). 3 August 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  10. The Mistakes of Celtic’s Lost Decade Must Not Be Repeated, The Celtic Star, 8 December 2021
  11. "Mass exodus at Celtic as 'ambitious' players head for pastures new". Scotzine. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  12. Campbell, Alan (11 December 2014). "Scotland captain Gemma Fay leads exodus out of Celtic". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  13. Southwick, Andrew (20 May 2018). "SWPL: Hibernian thrash Celtic 9-0 to win third Women's Premier League Cup in a row". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  14. "Celtic Women's team latest news". Celtic F.C. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  15. "Eddie Wolecki Black appointed Celtic Women's first-team head coach". Celtic. 27 July 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  16. "Eddie Wolecki Black: Celtic Women take head coach from rivals Motherwell". BBC Sport. 27 July 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  17. "Celtic Women: New boss Eddie Wolecki Black wants to defy doubters after doctors". BBC Sport. 28 July 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  18. Dewar, Heather (24 December 2018). "Celtic Women going full-time hailed a 'potential game-changer' for Scottish game". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  19. Frith, Wilf (21 December 2018). "Celtic Women sign trio". She Kicks. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  20. "Celtic women's team go professional". BBC Sport. 7 January 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  21. "Celtic Women turn professional for 2020". Celtic F.C. 7 January 2020.
  22. "Celtic appoint Fran Alonso as new women's team head coach". Celtic F.C. 14 January 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  23. Connellly, Tony (6 June 2021). "Fran Alonso overwhelmed with pride after Celts clinch Champions League dream". Celtic F.C. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  24. Schöggl, Hans (6 August 2020). "Scotland (Women) 2009". RSSSF. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  25. King, Ian (6 August 2020). "Scotland (Women) 2010". RSSSF. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  26. "Summary – SWPL1". Soccerway. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  27. "Women's Champions League: Celtic debut against Levante as British clubs discover opponents". BBC Sport. 2 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  28. "Women's Champions League: Celtic lose 2-1 to Levante to be eliminated". BBC Sport. 18 August 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  29. Cuddihy, Paul (5 December 2021). "Silverware success as Celtic FC Women lift the SWPL Cup". Celtic F.C. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  30. Cuddihy, Paul (6 December 2021). "Fran Alonso: Winning SWPL Cup is my favourite moment in football". Celtic F.C. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  31. Depleted Celtic beat Glasgow City 3-2 to win Women's Scottish Cup, Andrew Southwick, BBC Sport, 29 May 2022
  32. Clive Lindsay (21 May 2023). "City clinch title with dramatic last-gasp winner". BBC Sport.
  33. Thomas Duncan (28 May 2023). "Celtic beat Rangers to claim Women's Scottish Cup". BBC Sport.
  34. "New home will give Celtic women's team a platform for season ahead". Celtic F.C. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  35. "Celtic pitch plans for Barrowfield training ground expansion". Urban Realm. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  36. "Celtic FC lodges plans for training centre redevelopment". Scottish Construction Now. 6 June 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  37. Armstrong, Gary (5 June 2019). "Celtic announce major east end re-development plans". GlasgowLive. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  38. "Celtic to redevelop Barrowfield training ground". BBC Sport. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  39. Irvine, David (22 July 2021). "Celtic reveal home ground for B team & Women's matches this season". The Herald. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  40. "Celtic FC First Team Squad and Player Profiles".
  41. "Kelly thrilled to lift Women's Player of the Year Award". Celtic F.C. 27 April 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  42. "Congratulations to Mairead Fulton, @CelticFCWomen's Player of the Year!". Celtic F.C. 24 April 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  43. "Scott Sinclair's double delight at club's Player of the Year awards". Celtic F.C. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  44. "Captain is a treble winner at Celtic Player of the Year event". Celtic F.C. 23 April 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  45. "KEEN-AN ABLE". celticfcwomen.celticfc.com.
  46. "Skipper Callum McGregor is top Bhoy at Celtic awards night". Celtic FC. 2 May 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  47. "A night of celebration at Celtic Player of the Year Awards event". Celtic FC. 2 May 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  48. Schoggl, Hans (24 September 2010). "Scotland (Women) - List of Cup Winners". RSSSF. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
  49. Booth, Samantha (20 February 2008). "Girls Will Be Bhoys At Celtic Ladies FC". Daily Record. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  50. "Celtic Ladies head coach Peter Caulfield departs SWPL club". Scotzine. 25 July 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  51. "Women's football: David Haley to step down as Celtic head coach". BBC Sport. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  52. "Fran Alonso to manage Celtic Women after Lewes exit". BBC Sport. 14 January 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
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