Scottish Women's Football Chair Vivienne MacLaren said that it is her "dream" to see top clubs "turn professional or at least semi-professional in the next three years," according to Jane Lewis of the BBC. She believes there are organizations "willing to help fund her ambitions." There are "currently no female professional players in Scotland," with most internationals playing elsewhere. MacLaren: "Scotland has come on leaps and bounds in terms of the attitude towards women's football." MacLaren "has been studying women's leagues across the globe, seeking a model for progress." She said, "The problem is finance. Clubs are not financed to the point of the game in England, which is structured in a different way." MacLaren is boosted by her belief that "a lot of large organisations" have a desire to help develop women's sports (BBC, 1/9).
SFA OPEN TO VAR: The BBC reported the Scottish FA is open to using a video assistant referee "but has no plans to implement the system in this season's Scottish Cup." An SFA spokesperson said, "It is something that we would be happy to embrace and support if there was a widespread appetite from our member clubs." However, the spokesperson "also raised concerns over affordability." The Scottish Professional Football League, which administers the senior Scottish leagues and League Cup, "has already ruled out using goal-line technology, saying that the cost is prohibitive" (BBC, 1/9).
