Women's World Cup: Malky Mackay pledges Scottish FA support for national team

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Media caption,

Scotland coach Kerr soaked in celebrations

Scotland's players will be "given every chance" to compete at next year's Women's World Cup, says Scottish FA performance director Malky Mackay.

Shelley Kerr's Scots beat Albania on Tuesday to usurp Switzerland at the top of their group and earn a place at next year's finals in France.

It means the world's 21st best side follow up their Euro 2017 finals place with a first World Cup appearance.

"We're certainly not going there just to turn up," Mackay told BBC Scotland.

"Shelley will be making sure they go there to compete. We'll make sure that she is given every chance that she can, just like Anna Signeul was in the Euros.

"There was a lot of money invested in going to the Euros because it's not a big payer, actually getting there. It's not something where huge investment comes back to you.

"But it's something that we firmly believe, morally, has to be there for the country."

'We need young kids to want to watch'

Scotland's home-based players were funded to go full-time as they prepared for Euro 2017.

The majority of the current squad are full-time - 19 of the 23 who secured qualification in Albania - but are playing their club football in other countries.

Mackay believes reaching the World Cup can help generate more resources to invest in the women's game in Scotland.

"It's my job to make sure that the women's game is protected as much as possible and we can allocate as much as possible to that area," he said.

"We've got to make sure that young kids actually desperately want to go and become footballers and see role models.

"Obviously, the attendances aren't quite as high, but I'm really hoping off the back of this fantastic achievement that more and more people want to come out, that people might want to go to France in the summer to the World Cup and that sponsors come on board.

"We've already had a couple of very, very interesting conversations, phone calls from countries who have asked to come and play us in Glasgow, which would be real headline acts if they come off."

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