IT’S good news week for any aspiring female who is looking to progress her career in football as The Football Business Academy, an organisation dedicated to the football industry, is offering aspiring female leaders an opportunity to study a Professional Master in Football Business.

This year they have agreed that they need to recruit more women onto their courses and as such they have opened up two scholarship opportunities per intake for aspiring female leaders covering 50 per cent of the tuition fee.

They have stated that they are embarking on a mission to find and empower more talented women who dream of working in the football industry and change the status quo for the better.

To be fair, we have quite a few talented females working in football in Scotland, none more so, than Anne Budge. Budge is not just a shrewd business women and a lifelong Hearts fan, she is deemed to be the saviour of the club for many of the supporters, when she invested heavily in the club several years ago.

And then when we move over to the other side of Edinburgh, we find Leeann Dempster at the helm of Hibernian FC having made her mark at Motherwell FC, another strong woman in football, leading the way. Just two of several women now involved at the top level in football in Scotland.

FROM leading to playing, this weekend at the Toni Macaroni Stadium in Livingston, two of Scotland’s top teams in the SPWL will meet in the final of the SSE Scottish Women’s Cup – Glasgow City and Hibernian.

This should prove to be a showstopper as Hibernian are keen to ensure a repeat of 2016 when they claimed a cup double and denied Glasgow City their ninth Scottish Cup win. Having defeated Glasgow City in both finals last season, and already proud recipients of the SWPL Cup this season, I am looking forward to this top-of-the-table clash for the last silverware of the season.

For those that can’t manage along to Livingston, you can catch the match live on BBC Alba, with a 16.10 kick-off.

WOMEN’S football in Scotland took the decision several year ago now to change the timing of their season and they have a winter break, so football will stop now till around February – sensible, you bet it is. It wasn’t an easy transition but with the goodwill of most of the clubs at that point, it was carried through without too many hitches.

OVER now to tennis, when this week I had the pleasure to meet up with Emma Doyle once again. Emma is a high performance tennis coach, originating from Australia. This women is a modern day nomad and delivers her programme all over the globe. She promotes the ‘volley’ dance wherever she goes as it engages and encourages young women and girls to get active and enjoy tennis. She has an amazing CV in tennis and boundless energy for the game and the people involved.

Emma also looks at the bigger picture of empowering young women and gives many talks. She has been in performance tennis coaching for over 20 years, and is passionate about language and how the communication between the player and coach is the key ingredient to successful performances.

One of the guest speakers at the SW/S conference this year, Emma made everyone sit up and take notice when she bounded on to the stage with her specially made conference outfit, consisting of one half business trouser suit and the other half tennis shorts and top!

Watch out for the SW/S/Doyle collaboration, in fact more than that, joins us next year for the SW/S Doyle project – more info on this to come at a later date.

Last but not least, did you catch Serena Williams’s latest advert as she cradles a young baby? The sentiments were directed at her own daughter as she says ‘keep playing my girl’.

Powerful stuff from a powerful woman who adds: ‘‘But I beg you, in this game of life, please keep playing no matter what”