Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert

Rose Reilly (born 1955)

About this artwork

This photograph shows former footballer Rose Reilly at her home in Stewarton in Ayrshire. Reilly played for Scotland in the first official women’s international match between Scotland and England at Ravenscraig Park in Greenock in 1972. Not having the option to play professionally in Scotland, at 17 she signed for Reims in France and then AC Milan in Italy. Pursuing a career as a professional resulted in her being banned by the Scottish Football Association from playing football in and for Scotland. She continued her international career with Italy and scored in their victory against West Germany in the final of the 1984 Mundialito Femminile (the forerunner of the FIFA Women’s World Cup). Later that year she was voted the best female footballer in the world. Reilly continued to play until the mid-1990s and was inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame in 2007.

Published November 2022

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Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert

Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert