Lewis football ace Kayleigh Mackenzie has English Super League ambition

Inverness Caledonian Women’s ace Kayleigh Mackenzie dreams of one day making a move down south to play in the lucrative FA Women’s Super League.
Kayleigh in Caley coloursKayleigh in Caley colours
Kayleigh in Caley colours

Household English names like Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Everton are among the leading lights in this season’s women’s title race, which Isle of Lewis native Kayleigh hopes to have a direct association with later in her career.

“My ultimate ambition in football is to go pro really, just to play for the big teams,” Kayleigh, 17, told the Stornoway Gazette.

“I would love to play for a team down in England, just any team really.

“Obviously a lot of the Scottish internationals have gone down south and – when you’re looking at their careers – they’re more recognisable when they’re in England.

“Obviously that league, compared to the Scottish one, is a lot more challenging.”

Interest in women’s football in the UK has surely never been higher, with millions of viewers tuning in to watch last year’s World Cup which Scotland competed in and which was ultimately won by the USA.

At a local level, Kayleigh outlined the surge in participation by saying: “I have coached quite a few girls. There’s 40 girls that went to our Kim Little training school we did in Lewis last year.

“They all go to the local teams up here and just seeing them progress makes you proud because if you were to look back a couple of years ago, you wouldn’t get that many numbers for the girls.

“I also coach with Stornoway United and there’s a few girls there that are really coming on.”

Kayleigh and fellow Lewis local Mary MacLeod were due to continue their coronavirus-delayed Scottish Women’s Championship North Region league campaign last night (Wednesday) at Dunfermline Athletic Women.

Caley – who recorded a 5-1 home success over Westdyke on October 18 and a 5-2 home win over Buchan on November 1 in their first two league games this season – also have a home league fixture against Stonehaven this Sunday, December 13, kick-off 2pm.