Partick Thistle's Jacqui Low - 'It was my choice to be called chairman'

Gerry Britton and Jacqui Low are Partick Thistle's new chief executive and chairman

Jacqui Low says she is surprised by the fuss made about her calling herself chairman of Partick Thistle.

The 55-year-old is the first woman at the helm after replacing David Beattie - and the 20th chairman in the club's 143-year history.

"I've been quite shocked at the reaction around me being called chairman," Low told BBC Scotland.

"I'm a chairman of a company, I'm a chairman of a charity and nobody ever thinks anything of it."

Thistle suffered relegation from the Scottish top flight in May and Low takes up her role after former player and manager Gerry Britton's appointment as chief executive last month following the departure of Ian Maxwell to the Scottish FA.

"I've had quite a few people saying to me 'Are you happy to be called a chairman?', as if it's been imposed on me," Low said.

"It was my choice, I am very proud to be the chairman. I don't want to be a chairperson, or a chair, or anything like that because then it picks out gender and sex rather than ability.

"I'm the chairman and judge me on if I'm competent. It doesn't matter if I've got nail varnish on and Gerry doesn't."

Partick Thistle were relegated from the Premiership following a play-off defeat by Livingston

But Low, who joined the board of directors in 2015, is encouraged by the growing number of women in football.

Hearts are owned by businesswoman Ann Budge, while city rivals Hibernian have Leeann Dempster as chief executive.

"Football has been welcoming to me," Low said. "I've not had issues around diversity or anything else.

"I want to show other women - young women, older women - there's a place for you in football. And you are welcome."

Beattie stepped down after 11 years on the Jags board, seven of those as chairman.

Low said that, throughout her 35 years of working with chief executives and senior managers, she was "not easily impressed" when it came to appointing Maxwell's successor.

"We thought we knew Gerry until we went through this interview process and there was a depth to him and an ability that we weren't aware of," she revealed.

Britton believes the number of women involved in football at all levels can only be healthy.

"It's great that it's the norm now," said Britton. "We've got female physios and female sport scientists. We've got a great female coach with our women's team.

Alan Archibald is back in the Championship after leading Thistle to the top flight

"And even the fact we have a women's team now shows that it's far more about personnel rather than gender, which can only be a good thing.

"We are a club for all. We've got male supporters, we've got female supporters, so there should be no differentiation in terms of who watches us and who actually plays the game."

Thistle begin the 2018-19 campaign in the Championship after five seasons in the top flight and Low and Britton have stated that their objective for the season ahead is to get the club back there.

"We'll still be working with a similar size squad," Britton added. "We'll have a competitive budget for the league that we're in and a budget that we feel is more than capable of getting us out of the league at the first attempt.

"It's a fresh start this year in terms of the turnover in the squad. That gives great enthusiasm to the manager.

"He's got a clean slate and he's got a fresh canvas to try and make the changes that he wants to."