Caroline Weir hopes her little bit of history can drive women's game in Scotland

Caroline Weir is delighted to be the first winner of the Glen’s Vodka Women’s International Player of the Year

Caroline Weir reckons showing more women’s football on TV in Scotland will really help drive the game as she celebrates a little bit of history.

The Manchester City star is the first winner of the Glen’s Vodka SFWA Women’s International Player of the Year and she hopes this will also improve visibility.

Weir said: “I am delighted to receive this award. As a player playing outside Scotland it is nice to get a bit of recognition from people back home so I am honoured and very pleased to receive it.

“It’s massive and part of growing the game. In England I am used to us having the PFA awards which are massive with a lot attention on men’s and women’s teams of the year. So to have something similar in Scotland, I think is the right thing.

“The league in Scotland is growing every year, big teams are investing more and the quality is getting better. Yeah, I think it is really important and it is nice for players who have good seasons to get recognition as well.

Weir was on target on April 30 as Man City thrashed Brighton 7-2 but with only two games left they are looking like finishing third in the WSL.

She said: “There seems to be a shift in attitude to women's football in Scotland, slowly anyway, and that is a positive thing. Going forward I think there are definitely more things that can be done but it seems to be going in the right direction.

“What I found in England is the accessibility of the games in terms of the TV rights. I think that has really put it on a different level, at least down here.

“So maybe broadcasting games more, making them a bit more accessible on mainstream channels for people to watch. I think that is part of it.

“I think the big teams in Scotland need to keep investing, keep growing the game. That is at the professional level but it starts further down the tree, at grass roots it is about making sure there are enough girls playing football and seeing the pathways through the teams.

“There are academies up in Scotland: I went through the Hibs academy. Youth national teams need to be competing across Europe.”