'Are we not good enough?' Girls football team win tiny plastic cup as boys get full-size trophy

Victory Off the Pitch: Girls’ Football Team Wins Fight for Equal Trophy

When the South Morningside Primary School girls' football team lifted the coveted Edinburgh Schools Cup last year, they were handed a small plastic trophy. It paled in comparison to the large, grand silverware presented to the winning boys' team on the same day.

The squad—comprising 10, 11, and 12-year-olds—was shocked and furious. They decided to write to the competition's organisers to highlight the glaring inequity. Now, the tournament-winning team is celebrating a second victory after being presented with a brand-new trophy of the same scale as the boys’.

"Quite Ashamed"

Willie French, president of the Edinburgh Primary Schools Sports Association (EPSSA), admitted to feeling "quite ashamed" by the injustice. After receiving the girls' letter, he spent £1,600 on a new trophy and presented it to them at their school last week.

"I’m really proud now because we stood up for ourselves," said 11-year-old teammate Caitlin Tierney.

The disparity became obvious last summer during the tournament finals at Meggetland. While the boys were rewarded with a massive trophy after beating Liberton Primary School 5-2, the girls were left holding a "tiny" alternative.

"We went up to protest and asked why the boys got this huge trophy while we just got this little plastic thing," recalled Rebecca Scotland, another member of the team. "It spoiled our day. All the P7s had come down to watch us, and yet we were given this tiny trophy. I was yelling about it all night; I was distraught and worried that people didn't think we were strong enough."

A "Sad Wee Diddy" Trophy

While the girls' tournament has been running since 1997, Mr French explained that it was the first time their final had been held on the same night as the boys’.

"I set up the presentation with the four trophies, and there was this 'sad wee diddy-looking' one," he said. "I was really ashamed. It was only then, seeing them all together, that I realised how unfair it was."

When the girls’ letter arrived shortly after, he was struck by their resolve. "They very articulately and eloquently argued that such a cup failed to recognise their importance and made them feel inferior to the boys," he added.

A Lesson in Empowerment

Tom Wills, the team's head coach, had also been concerned that the small trophy would diminish the girls' sense of accomplishment. "I was so proud of what they had achieved, and I just thought, 'Is that it?'" he said.

He encouraged the players to focus on their hard work and talent, but noted they were determined to take action themselves. "They didn't need any encouragement to write that letter; it was entirely their own doing."

Vivienne MacLaren, chair of Scottish Women’s Football, also praised the team’s initiative. "We need to be seen as just as important and deserving of respect as the boys. What they’ve accomplished is admirable."

A Level Playing Field

The girls were presented with their new replacement cup by James Dalgleish, the City of Edinburgh Council's education convener.

"The South Morningside Primary School girls' football team has earned its place in history," Mr Dalgleish said. "By influencing the commissioning of this new trophy, they have helped ensure a level playing field—not only in football but across all sports."