Moray MP Douglas Ross has pledged his support for the #WhatIf campaign from Women in Football to encourage more women and girls to get involved in the sport as players, coaches, journalists or referees. It comes after the local MP was asked to host a reception for Women in Football recently at the House of Commons.
Douglas said: “I was pleased to be able to host a reception in Parliament to support the launch of the innovative WhatIf campaign, sponsored by Betfair. The campaign is designed to encourage parliamentarians, businesses, members of the public and celebrities to take action to improve the opportunities for women in football.
“It challenges everyone to identify one way that they can contribute to an improvement for women and girls within the football industry. At the moment there are just five women in the UK who have a UEFA professional licence, compared with nearly 300 men. I really hope that the campaign will help to encourage more women and girls to get involved with football at all levels.
“We have some great local teams in Moray and the female game is growing in terms of participation and popularity and I am sure it will get even better as our national team has qualified for the World Cup Finals in France later that year. This campaign aims to encourage more women and girls into football and I know we can play our part here in Moray which is why I am so keen to be part of it.”
At the launch in Parliament earlier this month Douglas encouraged his fellow parliamentarians to join the hundreds of people who have made a pledge to advance women’s football in the UK.
Jane Purdon, Chief Executive of Women in Football said: “It’s truly heartening to learn that Douglas has made a personal pledge to champion women working in and around the football industry, and the women’s game. I would encourage anyone who has been inspired by this campaign to get involved and make their own pledge, however big or small, by using the hashtag #WhatIf on Twitter.“