Hibs Women star Linzi on changing landscape of Scottish game as TV derby looms large
Full-time football ‘wasn’t an option’ when Taylor kicked off
When Linzi Taylor was starting out in football, jetting off to America on a scholarship with one eye fixed on her post-playing life, her options were limited not by any lack of talent or ambition. No matter how hard she worked, she knew that the women’s game in Scotland simply offered no professional opportunities in keeping with her ability and drive.
Now one of the older heads in the Hibs Women dressing room, the 29-year-old is genuinely happy for the new generation of players able to jump straight from school into full-time football. That wasn’t even close to being an option when, as a teenager helping Celtic to a breakthrough fourth-place finish in the SWPL, she crossed the Atlantic to pursue her dreams at the University of Tennessee Southern.
Taylor, whose career since has taken her to Israel, Cyprus and Iceland before she was finally tempted back to Scotland, first by Partick Thistle and then Hibs, said: “It’s all massively different now. For me, I went on a scholarship to America.
“The opportunity to go into full-time just wasn’t an option when I was leaving school.
“After university, I went abroad, played abroad for six years. And still the opportunity to play full-time here wasn’t really an option, even though you had Glasgow City and teams like that.
“Now, you’re seeing younger players coming out of school and going straight into full-time contracts. I think that will only help the national team set-up, that you’ve got players coming in full-time, going straight in and playing with A-team players.
“The difference from when I was younger is incredible. And that’s down to investment.
“It should be something that happens in Scotland. I think the investment over the past couple of years has been amazing to witness.
“However, would I change my journey? Probably not. I left America with a degree.
“So I know that, as soon as I stop playing football, we don’t get the same kind of money that the men’s team get, but I think looking at my future, I’ve got a degree behind me, which means I can go straight into a job. But the investment in women’s football so far has been incredible.”
Taylor will be integral to Hibs hopes as they entertain Hearts at Easter Road in Friday night’s live televised SWPL clash, with the home side sitting a point clear of their city rivals in a contest between teams lying second and fourth in the table. At this early stage of the season, the capital clubs are mixing it at the business end of the top flight.
Taylor, taking in the bigger picture while looking ahead to the derby, said: “I think previously you’ve obviously had the top three who separated from the rest of the league. I think, looking at results, although the season has just started, that competitiveness is there. I think it will be a lot more competitive this year.
“Looking from last season, Hearts have always been a powerful team. They’ve got big players who are good on the ball, very comfortable and confident, a good footballing side.
“It’s more about our work off the ball. We’ll need to be more disciplined. “For us playing at Easter Road, you look at the stadium, it’s immaculate. The grass is perfect. I think it will be good viewing for anybody coming to watch us get the ball down and play good football, because Hearts are a good footballing side. But so are we.”