Scottish Women's Football League Cup

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The Scottish Women's Football League Cup, previously known as the Scottish Women's League Cup and Scottish Women's Football League First Division Cup, is a Scottish women's football competition founded in 1972. [1] It is open only to teams in the Scottish Women's Football League (SWFL). It was the top-level league cup until 2002.

Contents

The SWFL Cup is played at present as the league cup of level 5 clubs in the SWFL, now a standalone amateur league tier. Teams at levels 1 and 2 now play for the SWPL Cup and levels 3 and 4 play for the SWF Championship and League One Cup, following a reorganisation of the system in 2019. [2] [3]

Background

The trophy started out as the Scottish Women's League Cup. The competition began in the 1972–73 season along with the foundation of the Scottish Women's League. [4] Westthorn United won the first edition of the competition, [4] as part of a treble along with the Scottish Women's League and Scottish Women's Cup. [4]

High street store Sports Connection became the first official sponsor of the Scottish Women's League and Scottish Women's League Cup in 1997. [5] Premier Division clubs broke away to form a new top division, the Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL), before the 2002–03 season. [6] The Scottish Women's Premier League Cup, a competition only open to SWPL teams was also introduced. With the top division in Scotland now having its own exclusive League Cup competition, the existing competition became the equivalent to the men's Scottish Challenge Cup, only open to lower league clubs.

In 2012, Scottish Women's Football launched separate cup competitions for its First and Second Division teams, [7] and the top trophy became exclusively for teams in the First Division, the national second league tier (which became the third tier in 2016, below SWPL 2). From 2009, women's football in Scotland adopted a summer season running from March to November each year. [8]

Following the 2019 reorganisation, the SWFL First and Second Divisions ceased to exist as they had. A new equivalent knockout tournament for the new Championship, the SWF Championship Cup, was introduced. The older trophy became the Scottish Women's Football League Cup, open to clubs playing at that 'Recreational' level. [9] The 2021 competition was played as a straight knockout cup, won by Bishopton, but the 2022 cup had a group phase. From this, the top teams qualified for the knockout stage, while eliminated clubs competed for the SWFL Plate.

SWFL Second Division Cup

The Scottish Women's Football League Second Division Cup was played from 2012 to 2019, and was only open to teams in the four groups of the Scottish Women's Football League Second Division (Central, East, North and West). Representing level 3 (2012–2015) and then level 4 (2016–2019), it was the league cup for the lowest tier at that time in the women's football league system.

The tournament consisted of six rounds, including the final. All matches were played over only one leg. With between 40 and 50 teams entering, only some teams took part in the first round. The winners met the remainder in the second round, a standard last-32 knockout. [10]

The league reconstruction in 2020 introduced a new SWF Championship division (and cup), along similar lines to the SWFL First Division, while the teams below formed a standalone 'Recreational' setup, continuing the SWFL name and the format of regional groups. [2] [3] The First Division Cup again became the SWFL League Cup, but with no second tier below the new SWFL groups, the Second Division Cup was discontinued.

List of winners

The Scottish Women's League Cup competition began in season 1972–73. [1] [4]

1972 to 2002

From 1972 to 2002, the cup was a competition open to all league clubs.

Note: Details incomplete
SeasonWinnerRunner UpResultRef
1972 Westthorn United Dundee Strikers16–0 [1] [4]
1976–77 Edinburgh Dynamos Westthorn United
1977–78 Edinburgh Dynamos Vale of Clyde5–2 [1]
1981–82Whitehill
1982–83WhitehillWishaw4–3[ which? ]
1982–83WhitehillWishaw4–3[ which? ]
1983–84
1984–85Wishaw
1990–91Inveralmond LadiesDundee United4–2 [11]
1991–92Inveralmond LadiesAberdeen3–1 [11]
1992–93Hutchison ValeClyde3–2[ which? ]
1993–94ClydeCumbernauld Ladies6–1 [12]
1994–95Cumbernauld LadiesHutchison Vale[ which? ]
1995–96Cove RangersGiuliano's4–0[ which? ]
1996–97Cumbernauld UnitedClyde6–0 [12] [13]
1997–98Cumbernauld UnitedClyde6–1 [13]
1998–99Cumbernauld UnitedClyde5–0 [14] [15]
1999–00Cumbernauld United or Aberdeen [1] [16]
2000–01Cumbernauld United Aberdeen 3–1 [17]
2001–02 Kilmarnock Ayr United2–0 [18]

2002 to 2011

From 2002 to 2011, the cup was open to all league clubs below the Premier League, [1] i.e. in the SWFL First Division, Second Division and (initially) Third Division.

SeasonWinnerRunner UpResultRef
2002–03 [19]
2003–04Clyde Aberdeen 4–0 [20]
2004–05Forfar FarmingtonInverness Caledonian Thistle2–1 a.e.t.
2005–06Lochee UnitedArthurlie4–2
2006–07InvernessVale of Clyde3–0
2007–08Dundee UnitedDalkeith6–0 [21] [22]
2008–09Glasgow City ReservesCeltic Reserves3–0 [23]
2009Celtic ReservesSpartans Reserves4–0
2010Celtic ReservesHibernian 20002–0
2011 Aberdeen Toryglen2–1

2012 to 2019

Scottish Women's Football League First Division Cup: [1]

SeasonWinnerRunner UpResultRef
2012 Queen's Park Paisley Saints0–0 (3–2 pen)
2013Inverness CityDunfermilne Athletic6–0
2014HeartsDunfermline Athletic3–1
2015Jeanfield SwiftsHibernian Development3–0 [24] [25] [26]
2016Hibernian DevelopmentEast Fife2–1 [27] [28]
2017Cumbernauld ColtsCeltic Academy1–0 [29] [30] [31]
2018Celtic AcademyHibernian Under 23's1–0 [32]
2019Celtic AcademyRenfrew6–0 [33]

Scottish Women's Football League Second Division Cup: [1]

SeasonWinnerRunner UpResultVenueRef
1992–93Stewarton ThistleMeadow Athletic4–2
2012 Hearts Aberdeen Reserves 6–1 Recreation Park, Alloa [34]
2013Hibernian DevelopmentViewfield Rovers5–0 [35]
2014RenfrewHamilton Caledonian9–3 Ainslie Park, Edinburgh [36]
2015 Motherwell Rangers Reserves6–2Ainslie Park, Edinburgh [37]
2016 Dundee United Dunfermline Development9–0Ainslie Park, Edinburgh [38]
2017Blackburn UnitedBayside3–2 a.e.t. [lower-alpha 1] Ainslie Park, Edinburgh [39]
2018Kelty HeartsSpartans Development2–0Ainslie Park, Edinburgh [40]
2019Morton GirlsDryburgh Athletic3–2 a.e.t.Ainslie Park, Edinburgh [41] [42]
  1. ↑ After extra time; 1–1 after 90 mins

2020–present

Since 2020, the cup has been a competition for all SWFL clubs. The previous two tiers were merged into one (below the SWF Championship). The 2020 competition was not completed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The SWFL Plate was introduced in 2021 for clubs knocked out in the SWFL Cup group phase.

Scottish Women's Football League Cup:

SeasonWinnerRunner UpResultRef
2021BishoptonBayside4–0 [43] [44]
2022Harmony RowLinlithgow Rose3–2 [45] [46]
2023–24Glenrothes StrollersMcDermid Ladies2–1 [47]

Scottish Women's Football League Plate:

SeasonWinnerRunner UpResultRef
2021MuriestonAyr United Development1–0 [44]
2022 Motherwell Development East Fife Development 0–0 a.e.t.
(3–1 pen)		 [45] [48]
2023–24Linlithgow RoseMusselburgh Windsor6–4 [45] [49]

See also

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  2. 1 2 "New Senior Structure for 2020 and beyond". Scottish Women's Premier League. 19 September 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
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  6. ↑ Jonathan Magee, Sheila Scraton, Jayne Caudwell, Katie Liston (30 January 2008). Women, Football and Europe: Histories, Equity and Experience. Meyer & Meyer Verlag. pp. 3–27. ISBN   9781841262253.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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  8. ↑ Leighton, Tony (19 December 2010). "England coach Hope Powell calls for women's game to switch to summer". The Guardian . Retrieved 28 August 2011.
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  12. 1 2 "These misses are such a hit now". The Herald. 11 November 1996. Archived from the original on 16 April 2022.
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    Note: Cumbernauld were league champions the previous season, not in 2000–01
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  34. ↑ 2012Scottish Women's Football League 2nd Division Cup Final
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  45. 1 2 3 "SWFL Plate and Cup Final". SWF. 26 June 2022.
  46. ↑ "Harmony Row strike a second-half chord to lift cup". SWF. 26 June 2022. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022.
  47. ↑ "Glenrothes Strollers win fife derby final to lift SWFL Cup". SWF. 21 April 2024.
  48. ↑ "Motherwell lift SWFL Plate after tense penalty shootout". SWF. 26 June 2022. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022.
  49. ↑ "Linlithgow Rose women lift first silverware in ten-goal Alloa thriller". SWF. 20 April 2024.
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