Footballing suffragette among Scotland’s sporting heroines in new women’s Hall of Fame
Scotland’s unsung sporting heroines - including a footballing suffragette - are to be honoured in a new Hall of Fame.
Pioneering women athletes Edna Nellis, Helen Graham, Marjorie Langmuir and Isabel Newstead are to be the first inducted into the Scottish Women in Sport Hall of Fame.
Gender sports historian Dr Fiona Skillen, of the Glasgow School for Business and Society, has helped the sports equality charity identify some of the women who have made a significant impact on sport in Scotland.
Dr Skillen said: “Scotland’s sporting past includes lots of fascinating and inspiring stories of sportsmen but it is unlikely you will find many sportswomen on the pages of Scotland's history books. There are, however, many incredible pioneering Scottish sportswomen who deserve recognition. I am delighted to have been able to help Scottish Women in Sport discover, celebrate and share their fascinating stories, which will do so much to inspire today’s athletes.”
Maureen McGonigle Scottish Women in Sport’s CEO, said: “We have identified past pioneers in sport and this spring we will announce our sports leaders of the present who will be next to be inducted into our Hall of Fame. All of these women deserve to be celebrated for breaking down gender barriers, challenging norms, acting as role models or having been forward-thinking and leading the way for other women. It is important that, as we move forward and continue to accelerate change, we take time to recognise the many female pioneers in sport who have largely gone unnoticed.”
The Past Pioneers to be inducted are: Footballer Edna Nellis, who represented Scotland and played in French and Italian championships, Suffragette Helen Graham, founder of the UK’s first women’s football team, Marjorie Langmuir, a unique talent who represented Scotland in hockey, badminton and tennis, and multiple gold medal winning Paralympian and World champion Isabel Newstead MBE, who excelled inswimming and shooting
Sports stars from the past and present who continue to lead the way in women’s sports were nominated by the public and national sporting bodies and selected by a panel including Dr Fiona Skillen, Lecturer at GCU, Hannah Norton of Strathclyde University, and Maureen McGonigle, CEO Scottish Women in Sport.