WATCH - Ross and Cromarty WFC to debut in Highlands and Islands League for 2023
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ROSS AND CROMARTY WFC have confirmed they will make their debut in the Highlands and Islands League for the 2023 season.
It will be the first time a club based in Ross-shire will compete in the women's league since the competition was established four years ago.
The new club have confirmed they will play their home matches at Ferry Brae Park in North Kessock, with the competition expected to start in March with nine teams expected to play.
Ross and Cromarty WFC are made up of a number of players who were in the Inverness Caledonian Thistle team which played in the Highlands and Islands League last season.
Goalkeeper Megan Finlay (25) says they were keen to establish a new club in Ross-shire and are looking for new players to join them for the forthcoming season.
"We had all been playing as a team for a good few years with Caley Thistle in the Highlands and Islands League," she said.
"But we decided to become an independent football team and go on our own.
"We have played in the league before, so we have a good idea of how everything runs.
"We have players aged between 19 to 40 and we are looking to recruit from 14 and upwards."
Despite being in their debut season, Finlay has high hopes of challenging for success in 2023.
With a number of players in the squad who finished in third place with Caley Thistle last season, she believes they have what it takes to be capable of winning silverware in the Highlands and Islands League.
She said: "We are looking to identify ourselves who we are and what we are doing.
"We have good hopes with the league, as we came third with Caley Thistle last season.
"A lot of players left halfway through the season and new players joined, we were looking really strong last season."
She added: "We are aiming for top, it will be difficult as we are establishing ourselves, but we are going in strong."
Finlay hopes that Ross and Cromarty will become a club which will give players the chance to establish and progress their football careers.
She says if the club is a success in its first few years, she says it will look to grow and provide greater opportunities in the future for women and girls in the region.
She said: "Quite a few of the players come from Inverness, but we also have a few from Dingwall and the Black Isle.
"Growing up, I went to Fortrose Academy and there wasn't a women's team in the area.
"It will be good to have something for young girls to aspire to.
"Hopefully if this season and next season go well, we can have younger squads and an academy set-up so we can have progression for them to come through as it would be amazing for young girls."
Defender Sophie Paton (27) joined the club and got back into football after relocating from Fife to Nairn.
She says Ross and Cromarty are an exciting club to be part of, giving the chance to socialise as well as playing football.
"I played in high school and university and then had to stop due to nursing, when I moved up here that is when I started again," she said.
"It is a case of boosting numbers but everyone is friendly and we are keen to start and support it.
"Win or lose it is all about the support for each other and have fun and we have a good team involved."
Paton believes the club have a good chance of success this season, but the fact a new club has been formed in the region is good news for women's football as a whole in the north.
"It is not about the winning and losing most of the time, although the winning is good and to be able to come out with a team that has a hopeful chance with the girls we have got. It is about being sociable and being together as a team."
Speaking about the club being formed, Paton said: "It is so important, there are so many women wanting to come out of their shell with sport.
"It is good to see how many teams there are in women's football now and how much it has grown around the area."
The club have been supported by Macaulay's of Askernish and Hawco SKODA ahead of the new season.
Head coach Iain Firth, who took charge of Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Highlands and Islands League last season, says signs are looking encouraging for Ross and Cromarty.
He hopes the club can attract new players into what he reckons is already a talented squad.
"We have 17 players in the squad already, so it is looking quite promising," he said.
"We want to win some games, we will pull in some more players and we should do OK.
"These players are quite experienced campaigners."
At present, nine teams are expected to take part in the 2023 Highlands and Islands League.
Clachnacuddin and Inverness Caledonian Thistle are also expected to enter the competition this season.
Nairn St Ninian are also looking to improve on their best finish of fourth place last season, with Brora Rangers, Caithness, Orkney and Sutherland also expected to enter again.
To find out more about Ross and Cromarty WFC visit their Facebook site.
