Spartans FC striker coaches budding players with first excellence course for women in Scotland

Budding players will get help to enhance their performance and prevent serious injuries.

A Spartans FC striker is coaching budding women footballers in the Capital after helping set up a course which is the first in Scotland for female players.

Becky Galbraith will support players on the groundbreaking course designed to support women’s performance and injury prevention and recovery. It comes at an important time in women’s football, as the game has seen a boom in popularity with Scotland's national team performing at major national tournaments, and league pyramid systems going from strength to strength.

But with the growth in the number of players, teams and clubs active in the women’s game, there is a bigger risk of significant injuries including anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) damage. Many professional players have been in the spotlight with these injuries in recent months and years.

Becky Galbraith designed the first-of-it's-kind course

Last month key player Erin Cuthbert was ruled out of the UEFA inaugural league games against England and Netherlands in a big blow to the Scotland side. The newly launched Achieving Excellence course at Edinburgh College aims to support players through access education, support and an environment “closer to that which has been afforded to men’s players for many years”.

Becky Galbraith said: “The idea behind the development of this course has come from the need to give young players in women’s football access to education on other aspects of the sport which are so important. I have been playing football for 26 years and have always known that there are gaps in what training and education is available to women and girls.

“Our game is growing so fast, which is fantastic to see, however there remains so much to do to in terms of ensuring players have everything they need to stay fit, strong and healthy which will allow them to have long and successful careers in the sport. Our aim for this course is to play our part in that and help young players starting out in women’s football.”

Becky designed the course with colleagues to include both theoretical and practical learning to support football performance, specifically for players in the women’s game. Students will learn about key aspects of sport and football performance including anatomy, physiology and nutrition, individual development, personal wellbeing and codes of conduct.

The Achieving Excellence in Women’s Football course, which is part of a Schools College Partnership programme, will see pupils from across the capital attend the College’s Milton Road Campus on two afternoons per week for lessons.

Edinburgh weather: Day by day forecast for the weekend as heavy rain set to batter the country