Glasgow City F.C.
Football club
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Glasgow City Football Club is a professional women's football team based in Glasgow that plays in SWPL 1, the top division of football in Scotland and also the higher of two levels of the Scottish Women's Premier League. The club has competed in the UEFA Women's Cup and UEFA Women's Champions League. They also have a reserve team and youth teams.
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| Full name | Glasgow City Football Club | ||
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| Founded | 1998 | ||
| Ground | Petershill Park, Springburn, Glasgow | ||
| Capacity | 1,000 (500 seated) | ||
| Co-founders | Carol-Anne Stewart & Laura Montgomery | ||
| Head Coach | Leanne Ross | ||
| League | SWPL 1 | ||
| 2024-25 | SWPL 1, 2nd of 12 | ||
| Website | glasgowcityfc | ||
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Glasgow City has won the most Premier League titles and the most Scottish Cups in Scotland since 2000.
In 2016, Glasgow City won their tenth Scottish Women's Premier League title in a row.[1] However they lost their four-year monopoly on the domestic trophies with Hibernian L.F.C. winning the SWPL Cup and Scottish Cup.[2]
The club's most recent title success came in dramatic fashion at the conclusion of the 2022–23 season with Glasgow City, Rangers, and Celtic all going into the final day with an opportunity to claim the title. At Ibrox Stadium, an injury time goal from Lauren Davidson secured a 16th SWPL title and made Leanne Ross the first female head coach to win the championship.
History
Glasgow City Football Club was formed in 1998 by Laura Montgomery and Carol Anne Stewart.[3][4] They play in orange and black.[5] The club play their home matches at Petershill Park in the Springburn district in the north of Glasgow, although from 2014 to 2017 they played at the larger Excelsior Stadium in Airdrie, around 15 miles outside the city, due to issues with the artificial playing surface at Petershill.[6] For the 2020–21 season, with Petershill unavailable, they played at Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire.[7]
City completed a domestic clean sweep in 2012, winning the treble,[8][9] and they completed a second consecutive domestic treble in 2013.[10] Between the seasons 2009 and 2018 inclusive, Glasgow City lost only three League matches,[11][12][13] and continued an unprecedented run of successive Scottish championships that began in 2007–08[14] It was reported Glasgow City had held talks with the FA WSL in February 2013 about a possible move to an extended top flight in England. City cited football was not moving forward quickly enough in Scotland for women to match their ambition.[15] The FA shut the door on any potential move.[16] City general manager Laura Montgomery later reiterated the club's desire to play in the FA WSL.[17]
During the 2014 season, Glasgow City secured an eighth successive SWPL title[18] and third successive treble.[19] After a superb 5–4 aggregate win against FC Zurich, City became the first Scottish team to reach the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in November 2014.[20] After a 2–1 first leg defeat at FC Zurich,[21] City were 1–0 down at half time, with their keeper substituted due a suspected broken collar bone, in the second leg. Despite City replying with two early second half goals, Zurich made it 2–2. An 81st minute Jo Love strike leveled the tie, but with City heading out of the competition on away goals, Suzanne Lappin powered home a header a few minutes from time to send them through.[20] In the quarter-finals, Paris Saint-Germain proved too strong for City, with a 7–0 aggregate victory.[22]
City were seeded for the UEFA Champions League in 2015–16, as they entered straight in to the round of 32, both for the very first time.[23] As the eighth seeds, the team faced Chelsea,[24] only to lose 4-0 on aggregate.
In July 2015, Eddie Wolecki stepped down as Glasgow City manager after four and a half years in charge,[25] with Scott Booth announced as his replacement.[26]
City reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the second time in 2019–20; they were the last independent women's football club to achieve this. In the 2020–21 Scottish Women's Premier League, they won their fourteenth title in succession.[14] Following the departure of Scott Booth in summer 2021 to take head coach role at Birmingham City W.F.C., Grant Scott was appointed as interim head coach until Eileen Gleeson was freed from her commitments as assistant coach with Republic of Ireland women's national team and could take up post as head coach in November 2021.
In December 2022, Gleeson stepped down and was replaced by the club's all-time leading appearance leader, goalscorer and former captain Leanne Ross. In Ross's first season in charge she led the side to a 16th SWPL title, claiming the title on the final day of the season. The 2023-24 season saw City eliminated from the knock-out rounds of the Champions League by Brann having defeated Gintra and Shelbourne in their Qualifying Round 1 Group Stage Round Robin. The season would end without any silverware.
Ahead of the 2024-25 season, former Head Coach Scott Booth was appointed as Assistant First Team Coach but he departed in November 2024 to take up the role of Aberdeen, in his place former City midfielder and Scotland international Leanne Crichton was appointed. The 2024-25 season ended with the club finishing second in the SWPL qualifying for the UEFA Champions League, and as runners up in the Scottish Cup after a 3–0 defeat to Rangers in the final.
Club records
- Record win: 29–0 against FC Kilmarnock, May 2010.[27]
- Record defeat: 0–10 against Turbine Potsdam in the UEFA Women's Champions League, 2 November 2011.[28]
- Most goals in all competitions: Leanne Ross, 264.
- Most league goals in a season: Leanne Ross, 42 (during the 2010 season).[28]
- Most goals in a season: Leanne Ross, 54 (during the 2010 season).[28]
- Most goals in a game: Debbie McWhinnie, 12 against Motherwell in the Scottish Women's Cup, February 2004.[29]
- Highest European home attendance: 1,785 against Paris Saint-Germain, 22 March 2015.[30]
Honours
- Scottish Women's Premier League
- Scottish Women's Cup
- Scottish Women's Premier League Cup
- Scottish Women's Football First Division
- Winners: 1998–99
Other tournaments
Awards
European history
Glasgow City has participated in several seasons of UEFA competitions; reaching the second qualifying round of the Women's Cup (last 16) in the 2008–09 season. In the 2011–12 UEFA Women's Champions League they won their qualifying group and moved on to the round of 32. They then defeated Icelandic team Valur to become the first Scottish side to reach the round of 16 of the Champions League.[49] The Round of 16 ended in "humiliating" fashion for Glasgow City, where against German champions Turbine Potsdam, they lost the tie 17–0 on aggregate.[50] At the time, the 10–0 first leg defeat in Potsdam was the only time any team in the knockout stages of the Champions League has been beaten by double figures. In 2013–14 they reached the round of 16 again, losing 2–6 against Arsenal on aggregate (the unwanted records from the Potsdam tie were eclipsed that season by Wolfsburg who won their round of 32 tie 13–0 and 14–0 for a 27–0 aggregate).
In 2014–15 they became the first Scottish team to advance to the quarterfinals,[51] being eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain, and achieved the feat again in 2019–20 but lost 9–1 to Wolfsburg (twice previous winners and runners-up twice more) in a single-game tie played in San Sebastián due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.[52]
- Glasgow City score listed first
| Season | Competition | Round | Opposition | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Leg | Second Leg | Aggregate | ||||
| 2005–06 | UEFA Women's Cup | First Qualifying Round |  Athletic Bilbao |
2–6 | 4th | |
 SV Saestum |
0–7 | |||||
 KFC Rapide Wezemaal |
1–5 | |||||
| 2008–09 | UEFA Women's Cup | First Qualifying Round | AZ |
1–1 | 1st | |
 ŽFK Mašinac Niš |
4–0 | |||||
 Narta Chişinău |
11–0 | |||||
| Second Qualifying Round |  Røa IL |
1–6 | 4th | |||
 Zvezda 2005 Perm |
0–1 | |||||
 1. FFC Frankfurt |
1–3 | |||||
| 2009–10 | UEFA Women's Champions League | Qualifying Round | Bayern Munich |
2–5 | 2nd | |
 Gintra Universitetas |
2–0 | |||||
 Norchi Dinamoeli |
9–0 | |||||
| 2010–11 | UEFA Women's Champions League | Qualifying Round |  Crusaders Newtownabbey Strikers |
8–0 | 2nd | |
 Slovan Bratislava |
4–0 | |||||
| Duisburg |
0–4 | |||||
| 2011–12 | UEFA Women's Champions League | Qualifying Round | Spartak Subotica |
4–0 | 1st | |
 Mosta |
8–0 | |||||
 KÍ Klaksvík |
5–0 | |||||
| Round of 32 |  Valur |
1–1 | 3–0 | 4–1 | ||
| Round of 16 | Turbine Potsdam |
0–10 | 0–7 | 0–17 | ||
| 2012–13 | UEFA Women's Champions League | Qualifying Round |  ŽNK Osijek |
3–2 | 1st | |
| FC Noroc |
11–0 | |||||
 PK-35 Vantaa |
1–1 | |||||
| Round of 32 |  Fortuna Hjørring |
1–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | ||
| 2013–14 | UEFA Women's Champions League | Qualifying Round | Osijek |
7–0 | 1st | |
| Birkirkara |
9–0 | |||||
| FC Twente |
2–0 | |||||
| Round of 32 | Standard Liège |
2–2 | 3–1 | 5–3 | ||
| Round of 16 |  Arsenal |
0–3 | 2–3 | 2–6 | ||
| 2014–15 | UEFA Women's Champions League | Qualifying Round | Union Nové Zámky |
5–0 | 1st | |
| Glentoran |
1–0 | |||||
 Zhytlobud-1 Kharkiv |
4–0 | |||||
| Round of 32 |  Medyk Konin |
0–2 | 3–0 (a.e.t.) | 3–2 | ||
| Round of 16 |  Zürich |
1–2 | 4–2 | 5–4 | ||
| Quarterfinals |  Paris Saint-Germain |
0–2 | 0–5 | 0–7 | ||
| 2015–16 | UEFA Women's Champions League | Round of 32 | Chelsea |
0–1 | 0–3 | 0–4 |
| 2016–17 | UEFA Women's Champions League | Round of 32 |  Eskilstuna United DFF |
0–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 |
| 2017–18 | UEFA Women's Champions League | Round of 32 |  BIIK Kazygurt |
0–3 | 4–1 | 4–4 (lost on away goals) |
| 2018–19 | UEFA Women's Champions League | Qualifying Round | Anderlecht |
1–2 | 1st | |
| Martve |
7–0 | |||||
| Górnik Łęczna |
2–0 | |||||
| Round of 32 |  Barcelona FA |
2–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | ||
| Round of 16 | Barcelona |
0–5 | 0–3 | 0–8[53] | ||
| 2019–20 | UEFA Women's Champions League | Round of 32 | Chertanovo Moscow |
1–0 | 4–1 | 5–1 |
| Round of 16 | Brøndby |
2–0 | 0–2 (a.e.t.) | 2–2 (won on penalties) | ||
| Quarter-Finals | Wolfsburg |
1–9[52] | 1–9 | |||
| 2020–21 | UEFA Women's Champions League | Qualifying Rounds |  Peamount United |
0–0 (a.e.t.) (won on penalties) | ||
| Valur |
1–1 (a.e.t.) (won on penalties) | |||||
| Round of 32 |  Sparta Prague |
1–2 | 0–1 | 1–3 | ||
| 2021–22 | UEFA Women's Champions League | QR1 semi-final | Birkirkara |
3–0 | ||
| QR1 final | BIIK Kazygurt |
1–0 | ||||
| QR2 | Servette Chênois |
1–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 | ||
| 2022–23 | UEFA Women's Champions League | QR1 semi-final |  Roma |
1–3 | ||
| QR1 Third Place Play-Off | Servette |
0–1 | ||||
| 2023–24 | UEFA Women's Champions League | QR1 semi-final | Shelbourne |
2–0 | ||
| QR1 Final | Gintra |
3–0 | ||||
| QR2 | Brann |
0–4 | 0–2 | 0–6 | ||
| 2025–26 | UEFA Women's Champions League | QR2 semi-final |  FK Austria Wien |
0–2 | ||
| 2025–26 | UEFA Women's Europa Cup | QR1 | Athlone Town AFC |
3–0 | 3–0 | 6–0 |
| QR2 | HB Koge |
1–2 | 5–3 | 6–5 | ||
| Round of 16 |  Sporting CP |
1–1 | 1–3 (a.e.t.) | 2–4 | ||
Players
- As of 6 February 2026[54]
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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On Loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Club staff
- As of 29 May 2025[55]
Corporate staff
| Job title | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Executive Officer |  Laura Montgomery |
Co-founder of the club and former player/captain |
| Co-founder | Carol Anne Stewart |
Co-founder of the club and former player |
| Academy Manager | Sarah Crilly |
Former player (2013-16) |
Coaching staff
| Job title | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Leanne Ross |
| Assistant First Team Coach | Hayley Lauder |
| Coach/Head of Player Development | Michael Gaughan |
| First Team Analyst | Adam Woolven |
| Head of Goalkeeping | Dan Tobin |
Former players
Player of the year
- 2024/25 - Aleigh Gambone
- 2023/24 - Kenzie Weir
- 2022/23 - Lauren Davidson
- 2021/22 - Jenna Clark
- 2020/21 - Priscila Chinchilla / Janine Van Wyk
- 2019 - Kirsty Howat
- 2018 - Leanne Crichton
- 2017 - Abbi Grant[56]
- 2016 - Erin Cuthbert[57]
- 2015 - Denise O'Sullivan[58]
- 2014 - Denise O'Sullivan[58]
- 2013 - Suzanne Lappin[59]
- 2012 - Jane Ross
- 2011 - Clare Gemmell[60]
- 2010 - Suzanne Lappin
- 2009 - Katharina Lindner
- 2008 - Megan Sneddon
- 2007 - Jane Ross
- 2006 - Katharina Lindner
- 2005 - Jayne Sommerville
- 2004 - Suzanne Lappin
- 2003 - Debbie McWhinnie
- 2002 - Pauline McVey
- 2001 - Laura Montgomery
- 2000 - Susan Maxwell & Laura MacDonald (shared)
- 1999 - Kirsten Abercrombie & Fiona Laird (shared)
Hall of Fame Inductees
In May 2025 Glasgow City opened their Hall of Fame. The first induction took place on Thursday 8th May 2025 at voco Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow.
- 2025 - Kathleen Kimmet
- 2025 - Jo Love
- 2025 - Leanne Ross
- 2025 - Suzanne Lappin
- 2025 - Emma Fernon
Former managers
- Kathleen Kimmet: 1998–1999
- Peter Caulfield: 1999–2010
- Eddie Wolecki Black: 2011–2015
- Scott Booth: 2015–2021
- Grant Scott: 2021 (interim)
- Eileen Gleeson: 2021-2022
