2010 Annual report - Scottish Football Association

02 on the field:
National Teams
02 on the field
Men’s Youth Teams
Billy Stark’s under-21s remain on
course to qualify for the UEFA
European Championship play-offs.
They need to win their remaining two
games against Austria and Belarus
to finish top of group 10. The majority
of Billy’s squad are household names
playing in the Scottish and English top
flight which, along with a run of good
results, has helped attract generous
crowds to all their home games.
Billy’s under-19s have yet again
qualified for the Elite round of
their respective UEFA European
Championship. Having finished top
of their qualifying group Scotland
will now face Croatia, Armenia and
Montenegro for a place at the finals
in France this summer.
The Nordic Cup kicked off Ross
Mathie’s under-17 season. His
side reached the final where they
were edged out in extra time by
an experienced England side.
Confidence was high within the
camp going into their UEFA European
Championship qualification group
but the youngsters failed to live up
to expectations and managed only
a point in three games. The minitournament
was nevertheless hosted
successfully in Scotland at Stark’s
Park, Forthbank Stadium, East End
Park and Bayview.
Ross Mathie’s inclusion of 14-yearold
Somalia-born Islam Feruz in his
squad brought an unprecedented
amount of media attention to the
tournament. The Celtic wunderkind
became the first player to be
selected for Scotland under the new
eligibility criteria.
Women’s National Team
Anna Signeul’s side got their qualifying
campaign for the 2011 FIFA Women’s
World Cup off to a flying start in
October.
A Jennifer Beattie goal secured a vital
away win over Greece in Athens in the
opening match. In the first home tie of
the campaign, Kim Little and Suzanne
Grant (two) were on target to secure a
3-1 win over Georgia.
By the end of 2009, Scotland were the
only side in Group 3 with a 100% record,
setting up an exciting year ahead
as the squad bid to better their UEFA
Women’s Euro play-off place in 2008
and qualify for the finals of a major
championship for the first time.
Finally, the under 16 Victory Shield
campaign reached a climax at
Tynecastle in November. Scotland
went into the final game against
England unbeaten but lost 2-1 in a
highly competitive match.
Women’s Youth Teams
There were mixed fortunes for the
women’s youth teams in 2009.
Shelley Kerr, the former Scotland
defender, got off to a winning start in
her first competitive games in charge
of the women’s under-19 squad,
guiding her side into the UEFA Women’s
Under-19 Championship Elite Round.
After defeat to Italy in the final game of
the first qualifying round, a 2-0 win over
Northern Ireland and an impressive 5-1
victory over Bulgaria booked Scotland’s
place in the next round.
A colossal 13-0 victory over Lithuania
kick-started Scotland’s UEFA Women’s
Under-17 Championship qualifying
campaign but defeats to Austria and
Czech Republic resulted in Ann-Helen
Grahm’s side exiting at the first stage.
SCOTTISH FA
SCOTTISH FA
08 ANNUAL REVIEW 2010
ANNUAL REVIEW 2010 09