成人快手 Scotland - 成人快手 Scotland - Banned by Scotland, so Rose won the World Cup with Italy instead

Banned by Scotland, so Rose won the World Cup with Italy instead

Rose Reilly always loved football. She had such natural talent that she was able to play for her local boys’ club — providing she cut her hair short and called herself ‘Ross’.

Her goalscoring exploits brought Rose to the attention of football scouts, but their interest cooled once they learned that Ross was in fact Rose.

In the 1970s there was no way for a woman to be a professional footballer in the UK, so the then 17-year-old left her Ayshire home and headed to Europe to follow her dream.

A huge hit in Italy’s Serie A, she was asked by the country’s President to play for the Italian national team — a move that led to Rose Reilly winning the 1984 version of the women’s World Cup, getting named female world footballer of the year, and becoming a household name in her adopted homeland.

She was never to achieve the same level of fame in her home nation, however, as the governing body behind Scottish women’s football banned Reilly from representing her country.

It was like being back at school 鈥� 鈥榶ou'll get expelled if you鈥檙e playing football鈥�

Rose Reilly

‘I felt bad for the people that banned me’

Rose received news of her ban from a friend; no official communication arrived from the governing body.

Rather than harbouring resentment about the decision, Rose instead felt pity for the officials who banned her.

“Why would you ban a Scottish athlete who wants to better herself? I still don’t have an answer for it.”

Former football manager and Secretary of the Scottish Women's Football Association Elsie Cook said that Rose’s legacy can be seen in the new breed of footballer being developed at junior level.

“These wee enthusiastic lassies are just picking up where Rose kind-of left off, because Rose was that wee, wide-eyed 7-year-old when she started playing.”

Developments in the women’s game – including Scotland qualifying for their first ever World Cup finals – shows, according to Rose, that the only way is up.

“Try stopping us now. We’re on a roll!”