Women's World Cup: Scotland success can change game - Shelley Kerr
- Published
Scotland success can change game - Kerr
Women's World Cup: England v Scotland |
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Venue: Allianz Riviera, Nice Date: Sunday, 9 June Kick-off: 17:00 BST |
Coverage: Watch on BBC One Scotland & BBC ALBA, listen on BBC Radio Scotland, live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & app. |
Scottish women's football will change completely if the national side enjoys success at their first World Cup, says head coach Shelley Kerr.
However, Kerr has warned that equal pay between men and women is some way off.
Scotland begin their campaign against England in Nice on Sunday, before facing Japan and Argentina.
"We've already captivated the nation by qualifying, but it's the legacy part. We don't want this to be an isolated incident," Kerr told BBC Scotland.
"We want to professionalise and grow the game and success would change the whole landscape of the women's game in Scotland."
Kerr and her squad were given a record-breaking send-off for the the tournament, when more than 18,000 fans turned up for a friendly against Jamaica at Hampden.
However, upon their arrival in France there has been controversy around comments made by the former USA captain Hope Solo, who has claimed there is chauvinism in the game.
She has pointed to the disparity in pay and prize money - £24m compared to £315m for the men's equivalent last year - as examples of how Fifa is not taking the women's game seriously.
"We need to be mindful that the game is still evolving," said Kerr. "Professionalism has only happened in the last few years so it's small steps to try and bridge the gap.
"Do I think that all players should be paid the same? I think it depends on what nation they are playing for.
"It's difficult to predict what's going to happen in the future. I used to pay to play the game so, for me, it's exciting to see players at the top level can earn a living.
"I think [equal pay] is a long way off but I'm delighted to see that the gap is closing."
Kerr is also confident the difference between Scotland and England is narrowing, too.
The last time the sides met was at Euros 2017, with the English winning 6-0, but the Scotland head coach is confident there will not be a repeat of that in Nice.
"We were under-strength in that tournament because so many of our top players were injured - that's not an excuse, that's just a fact," she said.
"We have grown, matured and developed as a team. We have bridged the gap but that is on paper - it's up to us to make it happen on the pitch, where it matters."