EKYC girls score new training gear thanks to Premier League star and ScottishPower

Motherwell captain Gill Inglis nominated the team for the giveaway from the renewable energy company that is the exclusive Principal Partner for Scottish Women’s Football and the Scottish Women’s Premier League.

East Kilbride Youth Club Girls (EKYC) has scored vital new equipment for its youth players after being nominated for a prize giveaway from SWPL Principal Partner ScottishPower by Motherwell captain Gill Inglis.

The leading renewable energy company is the exclusive Principal Partner for Scottish Women’s Football and the Scottish Women’s Premier League and is dedicated to supporting the women’s game from grassroots to elite.

To celebrate its partnership, the firm is providing kit packages to grassroots clubs featuring bibs, cones, water bottles, Puma football boots and footballs (sized for U14s).

It asked the captains of SWPL sides to nominate a community club they value for their work to further developing girls’ youth football.

Gill, from Hamilton, nominated EKYC, whose representative Alan Coupar received the new equipment at Kirktonholm Pavilion in East Kilbride alongside ScottishPower’s Craig Ireland, a financial accounting manager who also coaches his local team St Cadoc’s YC Girls in East Renfrewshire.

She said: “The change in women’s football has been phenomenal and to come down to a grassroots club like EKYC and see first-hand the difference they make to girls in the local area is brilliant.

“When I was younger it was always hand me downs from the men’s or boys’ teams to the girls playing. It was always kit that didn’t fit us, it was far too big, and just really annoying when you’re a young player who’s serious about the sport.

“It’s great to be able to hand over this new kit to the girls playing tonight. For me it’s vital for girls to have access to the right kit and facilities. It promotes a sense of belonging and means not only are all the girls the same as each other in terms of what they have, they are the same as the boys too.

“The sport is the same for everyone, the way we play football is the same. So girls and women should have the same access to kit or facilities too. It’s great to see ScottishPower supporting the girls grassroots game in this way.”

Alan added: “EKYC is a great club, we’ve got different girls from different backgrounds all coming together as one team with great support around them. For me as a coach and also a parent with a girl playing here, it’s amazing.

“Receiving the kit from ScottishPower really helps a club like EKYC keep up with the growth in the women’s game. Having balls, bibs, boots and water bottles means every player comes along and has everything they need. A ball at their feet and off they go, it’s really great for them and the club.”

He added: “These girls are the future of the women’s game. We’ve been fortunate enough to see a few of our girls go on to bigger clubs but they start here in the grassroots. We’re building a pathway for the girls to go on and go further. If they want to be like Gill one day, we’ll do everything to help them get there and we couldn’t do it without companies like ScottishPower helping in the long run.”

The kit giveaway comes as ScottishPower works closely with both SWF and the SWPL to invest in supporting the continued growth of the women’s game.

Keith Anderson, chief executive of ScottishPower, said: “We want to energise women’s football for both current and future generations and build a community of players that inspire even more people to play and enjoy the game.

“That means working with our partners at SWF and the SWPL to help clubs and players overcome barriers to their growth and operation.

“By providing training kit and asking those players at the top of the game to nominate a community club to receive it, we’re making sure that everyone can benefit from this partnership, whether at the elite end of the game or those all-essential grassroots.”

ScottishPower says it is at the heart of communities across the country, whether it’s through the thousands of green jobs being created, the renewable power it generates or the secure, stable electricity it supplies - keeping the lights on from power to plug.

It is also a major employer in Scotland with a key focus on encouraging more women to consider STEM careers.

ScottishPower’s partnership joins parent company, Iberdrola, which has been promoting equality through sport since 2016, through competitions and federations in Spain and Brazil. It supports more than 100 competitions, 32 of them as Iberdrola leagues, reaching an estimated 600,000 female athletes.

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