Rose Reilly

How Rose Reilly became the only Scot to win the Mundialito ‘World Cup’.

All Rose Reilly wanted to do was play football. But to do that, she would have to face unfairness, sexism and misogyny, and do things her own way. As a young girl, she had her hair cut like a boy so that she could play for her local team, and was even spotted by a Celtic scout, who noticed her goal-scoring talents. However, because she was a girl, the interest went no further. Rose wasn’t going to let that stop her, and eventually she became part of the Scotland team that took on England in 1972 in the first international game between the women’s teams – a game the SFA refused to sanction or recognise at the time.

With women’s football in Scotland derided, Rose headed off to Italy, where the women’s game was supported. But while Rose’s professional career took off abroad, back home, the SFA banned her from playing for Scotland. Italy wanted Rose, even if Scotland didn’t, and she was capped for the Italian national team. There were struggles adapting to her new country, but Rose faced the challenge like she had others in her life. She won friends in the dressing room and important games on the pitch. And none was more important than Italy v West Germany in the ‘World Cup’ final, where Rose became the only Scot to win the trophy.

Rose is now enjoying well-deserved recognition back in the country of her birth, with her life story being brought to the stage, and her lost caps as a Scotland international finally being recognised.