LEANNE Crichton, the Scotland women’s internationalist, remembers having to get changed behind an old blackboard as she prepared to turn out for her Glasgow primary school.
Such details will have been long forgotten by the other players in the team but, for Crichton, those little differences have remained embedded in her mind.
That is why the midfielder believes a levelling up on the playing field with strips can be so valuable. “I was so pleased to back this venture by the Daily Record because it is an incredible campaign,” she said.
“You hear so much about uniforms at school and how they eliminate difference and give everyone a sense of identity. You don’t see the people that might not have all the fancy stuff and designer gear. And when you all look the same, you feel a sense of togetherness.
“It is the same for everyone on that pitch. Even now, at the start of a season when we get handed a brand new kit with Glasgow City, it makes you feel great before you kick a ball.
“As a girl who played in a team full of boys, what I remember most is that the strip was a great leveller. Whatever differences there were, once you walk out on to the pitch in your strip then you are all the same.
“All those insecurities go. It signifies so much and I think, in terms of equality, it really does go a long way. I remember they’d all go into the changing rooms and I’d be sent into a games hall to get my kit on behind the old school blackboard.
“I bet that none of the boys in the team remember that. I don’t remember being embarrassed by it or seeing it as anything other than what it was but I do recall that, when I had the boots, shinpads and strip on, I just felt as much a part of it as anyone else.”
Despite having played in the Champions League with Glasgow City and going to the World Cup with Scotland, some of Crichton’s happiest football memories are from primary school age.
She said: “My first real strip was an old Umbro school strip. We had a really successful primary team.”
Crichton is still in the middle of her football adventure but there are a couple of mementos that have been given pride of place at home.
She said: “I have two that are special – the strip when we qualified for the 2017 European Championships and then my favourite is the pink one that we wore last summer at the World Cup in France.
“I missed a sitter in the game against Spain from about three yards out, so it’s both brilliant and depressing to look at. But it serves as a reminder of just how far we have come and also it’s a good story."
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