2019 Scottish Building Society SWPL 2 Fixtures Announced
The fixtures for the 2019 Scottish Building Society Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL) 2 season have been launched. Since 2016, there are eight teams in both divisions with each side playing each other three times to complete the 21-match league calendar.
This year’s domestic club season has been extended slightly to account for significant international activity – most notably following the Scottish Women’s National Team’s historic qualification for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France.
Scottish Women’s Football’s (SWF) Executive Officer, Fiona McIntyre, said: “It has been a particularly challenging year to create a domestic fixture calendar that meets the needs of our senior clubs but is reflective of the additional demands created by our successful national teams at both senior and youth level.
“All of the challenges reflect the progress women’s football has made in Scotland, with two clubs qualifying for the UEFA Women’s Champions League as well as Scottish National Teams competing in major competitions.”
Since inception, Scottish Building Society SWPL 2 has been one of the most competitive leagues in the whole of Scottish Women’s Football. 2019 looks likely to be the same again with both Partick Thistle and Dundee United being promoted and Hamilton Academical, 2016 SWPL 2 champions, having been relegated from Scottish Building Society SWPL 1.
The first set of fixtures, to be played on Sunday 10th February, should give an indication of the season to come. Perhaps the most intriguing tie is between Hamilton Academical and Heart of Midlothian. Both sides were in the title race back in 2016 before Hamilton eventually prevailed on the final day of the season. With Hearts’ recent announcement about increased investment and support, these two sides could well be battling again for the title and the sole promotion spot.
FC Kilmarnock will consider themselves as title contenders after a stunning 2018 campaign. After promotion to SWPL 2 last year, they finished runners-up in their first attempt. They will travel to Saughton, Edinburgh, to play Hutchison Vale. They were known in the last two seasons as Edinburgh University Hutchison Vale but that partnership has come to an end.
There is also Glasgow derby as Partick Thistle’s first match as this level is away to Glasgow Girls. The home side have been in SWPL 2 since 2016 and have come close to the title in the past but they will be under new management for the first time at this level. There is also a relatively short trip for St Johnstone, formerly Jeanfield Swifts, who travel to newly promoted Dundee United.
You can check out the Season 2019 fixtures on the ‘Fixtures and Results’ page by clicking here.
