2020–21 Scottish Women's Premier League
The 2020–21 Scottish Women's Premier League, known as the Scottish Building Society Scottish Women's Premier League for sponsorship reasons,[1] was the 20th season of the Scottish Women's Premier League, the highest division of women's association football in Scotland since its inception in 2002. The league was split into two divisions – SWPL 1 with eight teams and SWPL 2 with 10 teams.[2] Glasgow City were the defending champions, having won the last completed championship in 2019.
The 2020 season was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic and was subsequently declared null and void. Following this cancellation, the league reverted to a winter season format as the new season started in October 2020 and concluded in June 2021.[3] On 12 October 2020, the league announced that it had been agreed that there would be no relegation from SWPL 1, and that there would be 10 teams in the top division in the following season.[4]
Teams

SWPL 1
| Team | Location | Head coach | Home ground | Capacity | 2019 position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celtic | East Kilbride | K-Park Training Academy | 1,000 | 3rd | |
| Forfar Farmington | Forfar | Station Park | 6,777 | 7th | |
| Glasgow City | Cumbernauld | Broadwood Stadium | 8,086 | 1st | |
| Heart of Midlothian | Edinburgh | Oriam | 1,000 | 1st in SWPL 2 | |
| Hibernian | Edinburgh | Ainslie Park | 3,000 | 2nd | |
| Motherwell | Airdrie | Excelsior Stadium | 10,101 | 6th | |
| Rangers | Milngavie | Rangers Training Centre | 500 | 4th | |
| Spartans | Edinburgh | Ainslie Park | 3,000 | 5th |
Source: [5]
SWPL 2
| Team | Location | Head coach | Home ground | Capacity | 2019 position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | Aberdeen | Cormack Park | 1st in SWFL 1 North | ||
| Boroughmuir Thistle | Edinburgh | Meggetland Sports Complex | 1,000 | 5th in SWFL 1 South | |
| Dundee United | Dundee | Regional Performance Centre | 3rd | ||
| Glasgow Women | Glasgow | New Tinto Park | 6th | ||
| Hamilton Academical | Hamilton | New Douglas Park | 6,018 | 2nd | |
| Kilmarnock | Kilmarnock | Rugby Park | 17,889 | 4th | |
| Partick Thistle | Glasgow | Lochinch | 5th | ||
| Queen's Park | Glasgow | Lesser Hampden | 1,000 | 4th in SWFL 1 South | |
| St Johnstone | Perth | McDiarmid Park | 10,696 | 7th | |
| Stirling University | Stirling | Gannochy Sports Centre | 1,000 | 8th in SWPL 1 |
Source: [5]
SWPL 1
| Season | 2020–21 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Glasgow City |
| Champions League | Glasgow City Celtic |
| Matches played | 84 |
| Goals scored | 344 (4.1 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Lizzie Arnot (16 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Rangers 11–0 Forfar Farmington (25 April 2021) |
| Biggest away win | Heart of Midlothian 0–10 Celtic (1 November 2020) |
| Highest scoring | Rangers 11–0 Forfar Farmington (25 April 2021) |
| Longest winning run | Seven games: Glasgow City |
| Longest unbeaten run | 14 games: Glasgow City |
| Longest winless run | 11 games: Forfar Farmington |
| Longest losing run | 10 games: Forfar Farmington |
← 2020 2021–22 → | |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glasgow City (C) | 21 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 77 | 16 | +61 | 56 | Qualification for the Champions League first round |
| 2 | Celtic | 21 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 76 | 12 | +64 | 53 | |
| 3 | Rangers | 21 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 76 | 10 | +66 | 48 | |
| 4 | Hibernian | 21 | 9 | 2 | 10 | 42 | 27 | +15 | 29 | |
| 5 | Spartans | 21 | 9 | 2 | 10 | 29 | 42 | −13 | 29 | |
| 6 | Motherwell | 21 | 4 | 0 | 17 | 18 | 78 | −60 | 12 | |
| 7 | Forfar Farmington | 21 | 3 | 2 | 16 | 17 | 90 | −73 | 11 | |
| 8 | Heart of Midlothian | 21 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 9 | 69 | −60 | 8 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champion
Positions by round
| Champions and UEFA Champions League first round | |
| UEFA Champions League first round |
The table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. In order to preserve chronological progress, any postponed matches are not included in the round at which they were originally scheduled but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards. For example, if a match is scheduled for matchday 13, but then postponed and played between days 16 and 17, it will be added to the standings for day 16.
Results
Matches 1 to 14 |
Matches 15 to 21
|
SWPL 2
| Season | 2020–21 |
|---|---|
| Matches played | 59 |
| Goals scored | 229 (3.88 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Bayley Hutchison (5 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Hamilton Academical 8–0 Stirling University (29 November 2020) |
| Biggest away win | Boroughmuir Thistle 0–9 Aberdeen (25 October 2020) |
| Highest scoring | Boroughmuir Thistle 0–9 Aberdeen (25 October 2020) Aberdeen 8–1 St Johnstone (10 November 2020) |
| Longest winning run | Six games: Aberdeen |
| Longest unbeaten run | Six games: Aberdeen Dundee United |
| Longest winless run | 11 games: Stirling University |
| Longest losing run | Six games: Stirling University |
← 2020 2021–22 →
All statistics correct as of 9 June 2021. | |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aberdeen | 12 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 53 | 10 | +43 | 33 | Promotion to SWPL 1 |
| 2 | Hamilton Academical | 12 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 34 | 11 | +23 | 25 | |
| 3 | Partick Thistle | 12 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 29 | 14 | +15 | 25 | |
| 4 | Dundee United | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 30 | 17 | +13 | 24 | |
| 5 | St Johnstone | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 21 | 23 | −2 | 16 | |
| 6 | Glasgow Women | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 15 | 16 | −1 | 13 | |
| 7 | Queen's Park | 12 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 14 | 29 | −15 | 13 | |
| 8 | Kilmarnock | 12 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 26 | −16 | 13 | |
| 9 | Boroughmuir Thistle | 12 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 13 | 33 | −20 | 9 | |
| 10 | Stirling University | 12 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 10 | 50 | −40 | 1 | Qualification for the play-offs |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
Positions by round
| Promotion to 2021–22 SWPL 1 | |
| Qualification for the play-offs |
The table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. In order to preserve chronological progress, any postponed matches are not included in the round at which they were originally scheduled but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards. For example, if a match is scheduled for matchday 13, but then postponed and played between days 16 and 17, it will be added to the standings for day 16.
Results
Statistics
Scoring
SWPL 1
Source: |
SWPL 2
Source: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SWPL 1
| No. | Player | For | Against | Date | Score | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rangers | Heart of Midlothian | 18 October 2020 | 5–1 | [9] | |
| 2 | Glasgow City | Forfar Farmington | 1 November 2020 | 8–1 | [10] | |
| 3 | Forfar Farmington | Heart of Midlothian | 8 November 2020 | 3–0 | [11] |
SWPL 2
| No. | Player | For | Against | Date | Score | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aberdeen | Boroughmuir Thistle | 25 October 2020 | 9–0 | [12] | |
References
- "LEAGUE START DATE ANNOUNCED WITH ENHANCED BROADCAST DEAL". Scottish Women's Football. 29 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
- "New Senior Structure for 2020 and beyond". Scottish Women's Premier League. 19 September 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
- Lewis, Jane (29 July 2020). "SWPL season declared null and void after one round of games". www.bbc.co.uk/sport. BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
- "SWPL: No relegation this season with top flight to expand to 10 teams". www.bbc.co.uk/sport. BBC Sport. 12 October 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- "Scottish Women's Premier League". Scottish Women's Premier League. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- "Summary – SWPL1". Soccerway. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- "Summary – SWPL2". Soccerway. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
- "SWF Statement – Kilmarnock v Hamilton Academical". Scottish Women's Premier League. 4 November 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
- "Rangers 5–1 Hearts". Scottish Women's Premier League. 18 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- "Glasgow City 8–1 Forfar Farmington". Scottish Women's Premier League. 1 November 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
- "Forfar Farmington 3–0 Hearts". Scottish Women's Premier League. 8 November 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- "Boroughmuir Thistle 0–9 Aberdeen". Scottish Women's Premier League. 25 October 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
