Ross-shire women's team to enter Highlands and Islands League for first time
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For the first time, a female football team from Ross-shire will be represented in the Highlands and Islands League for the 2023 season.
Scottish Women Football (SWF) have confirmed a team called Black Isle will be joining the competition this season.
No further details have been released about the team yet.
It has been four years since the inaugural campaign of the league, which missed one year because of the Covid-19 pandemic and has seen Clachnacuddin, Caley Thistle Development and Buckie Thistle crowned champions to date.
However, despite teams from across the north of Scotland taking part, there has never been any Ross-shire representation.
Competing in senior football has been a long-term ambition for another Ross-shire outfit, Ross County Girls and Women.
For them, time is the only issue, as they have been building up their youth set-up with a view to forming under-18 and senior sides when players graduate from the younger under-16, under-14 and under-12 age groups.
The Highlands and Islands League has proven to be a strong grounding for developing a raft of talent across the north of Scotland.
Year on year the standard has improved and teams have become more competitive, and some have even made the step up to higher divisions with Caley Thistle’s senior team.
The Highlands and Islands League sits under the recreational arm of Scottish Women’s Football, meaning the emphasis is on getting players active and involved in the sport rather than promotion. Inverness Caledonian Thistle’s senior side, though, sits under the performance arm, and are currently in the third tier of women’s football in Scotland.
