From Twelve Players to the Premier League

Sports at the University of St Andrews offers students a unique experience of studying at a world-class university while playing alongside some of the strongest teams in the United Kingdom. However, behind this high level of sports lies years of dedication from staff, players, and coaches, with the women's football program being an evident example.

Stuart Milne, the director of football, has been part of the football program since January 2011. When Stuart first joined the football program, it looked very different. There were 3 men's teams consisting of around 60 players, with only one women's team with 12 regularly competing players. Today, the women's team has expanded to three teams, with the demand for more teams continuing to grow as more athletes seek to compete at an elite level. 

To understand the level changes within the program, it is important to understand the competition structure for higher education sport in the UK: British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS). BUCS organises university football into a tiered system often illustrated as a pyramid: Tier 3 forms the foundation, followed by Tier 2 and Tier 1, with the Premier League representing the highest level of competition. 

When Stuart first joined the program, the women were playing in Scottish Tier 2. Today, and over the past three years, have been in the Premier League, amongst the top teams in national competition, with last year winning in all, earning them the title of the top team in the UK. 

Stuart added “If you'd asked me 5 years ago, would you be the number one team in the UK? I probably would have said no, but the journey we've gone on and the investment we've made and the belief and what we've got has got us to that point, and through a lot of hard work from the players and the staff, we've managed to do that.” With the increased competition came higher expectations, calling for a higher commitment from the staff and players. What was once a weekly practice on the hockey fields has transformed into three on-pitch training sessions, two weight sessions, video analyses, and workshops in psychology and nutrition. 

Stuart explained how “we're trying to give them that performance feel for players at the top end” — “and certainly trying to make it as much of a professional environment for them to play in as well as getting our unbelievable academic experience.” 

In order to understand the culture and team environment that has been behind this success I spoke with Auburn Brenner who has been a part of the program for the past four years while studying International Relations and History at the University of St Andrews. 

Reflecting on her time with the team, Auburn explained that since her first year, the program has only continued to build off of the momentum with “every single year, being something that we're always looking to build off of, and to get better and better,” she said. 

When asked what makes the team unique, Auburn pointed to the culture within the squad. “We play for each other and for the club itself,” she noted, an environment she had not experienced elsewhere. She also credited Stuart for fostering that culture, adding, “He’s probably one of the best coaches I’ve had.” 

The women’s teams continue to demonstrate that progress, with the Women’s 1st team set to compete in the BUCS National Trophy semi-final on 25 February, the Women’s 2nd team playing strongly at the level where the first team once competed, and the Women’s 3rd team currently sitting at the top of Tier 3. 

Over the past 15 years, the dedication of Stuart, his staff, and generations of players has transformed the program into a highly competitive environment where athletes can develop at an elite level while pursuing their academic studies.