Breaking Barriers: Fiona McIntyre's Quest to Surpass Last Season's Record-Breaking SWPL Campaign

Fiona McIntyre, the managing director of SWPL, is committed to building upon the success of the previous season's record-breaking campaign. However, she acknowledges the challenges that come with the second album, as it is often considered the most difficult. Previously the head of women's football at the Scottish FA, McIntyre seized the opportunity to spearhead a transformation within Scotland's women's game when she became the league's inaugural managing director in the previous year.

The final day of the first season was an exhilarating one, with Glasgow City, Celtic, and Rangers all in contention for the championship title. However, it was City who ultimately emerged victorious, clinching the title with a thrilling last-minute goal.

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Glasgow City are SWPL champions again

McIntyre recently discussed the drive to further develop the sport in Scotland in an interview with We News, ahead of the upcoming season. She candidly expressed, "Many have mentioned to me that the second album is often the most challenging, and that's exactly how it feels."

The challenge for us moving forward is to increase the number of people attending our events, increase the televised game coverage, and ensure that the SWPL is a topic of conversation for everyone. Last year, we achieved many firsts with the records we set.

Last season, the women's games in Scotland saw a remarkable turnout of over 100,000 fans, and on three separate occasions, the domestic record attendance for a single game was shattered. The Edinburgh derby between Hibernian and Hearts drew a crowd of just over 8,000 spectators, while Celtic vs Glasgow City at Celtic Park saw an impressive turnout of 9,553 fans.

Celtic broke the record again on the final day of the season, with 15,822 turning out to watch their 2-0 win over Hearts.

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Rangers won the SWPL We Cup in December

Heart and Rangers both saw a surge in record club attendances, while Montrose celebrated their trophy presentation at Links Park with the highest SWPL 2 attendance of the season.

"Our hope is to create a fiercely competitive league this year. Our purpose is to ensure we provide the finest competitions possible," McIntyre emphasized.

We aim to share the narratives of both the players and the individuals who support and guide them, as it holds great significance for us.

Our main objective is to ensure that conversations about the SWPL do not solely revolve around the cup finals or the last day of the season. Instead, we strive to maintain a consistent presence throughout the entire season, sparking discussions and gaining recognition from all.

The opening weekend games

Here's the first round of fixtures for the 2023/24 ScottishPower Women's Premier League season (All fixtures subject to change):

Aberdeen vs Motherwell

Dundee United vs Partick Thistle

Glasgow City vs Hibernian

Hamilton Academical vs Hearts

Montrose vs Celtic

Spartans vs Rangers

Here's the first round of fixtures for the 2023/24 ScottishPower Women's Premier League 2 season (All fixtures subject to change):

Boroughmuir Thistle vs Glasgow Women

Gartcairn vs Queen's Park

Livingston vs Kilmarnock

St Johnstone vs Stirling University

Key dates for the 2023/24 SWPL season

- Start date: August 13

- Winter break: December 18 to January 13

- First post-split fixtures: March 17, 2024

- Final round of matches: May 19, 2024

- Play-off finals: May 23/24, 2024

- We Cup final: March 23 or 24, 2024

Scottish Premiership and SWPL on Sky Sports

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The SPFL ball for the 2023/24 season will offer a range of exciting matches. Our flagship channels, We Football and We Main Event, will broadcast up to 48 cinch Premiership games, along with at least five SWPL matches. Looking ahead to the 2024/25 season, We will expand its coverage to include up to 60 cinch Premiership games, as well as the SWPL.

We News provides round-the-clock coverage of the cinch Premiership and SWPL for Scottish football fans. Tune in to channel 409 to stay updated on the latest news and analysis throughout the season.

Stay connected with Scottish football by accessing We Digital on SkySports.com and the app. Get exclusive features, interviews, live blog coverage, in-game clips, and free highlights.

We Social - In addition to promoting the league on all of We's main social media channels, the exclusive Scottish football content will be featured on our customized Twitter channel, @ScotlandSky.

Highlights show - Watch the weekly recap of the cinch Premiership exclusively on We Football.

Click here to download the We app and visit the We website for the ultimate destination for domestic football in the UK and Ireland. Enjoy over 400 games per season, including those from the Scottish Premiership, Scottish Women's Premier League, Premier League, WSL, and EFL.