AILEEN Campbell has never forgotten the words of the visiting football coach who came to her primary school in the Sidlaw hills in rural Perthshire all those years ago.

The newly appointed chief executive of Scottish Women's Football, who has just taken up the baton following a 14-year in politics, was an avid player in the school team and a passionate St Johnstone supporter so it was only natural that she asked for some advice.

“I was told that football wasn't for girls and to go away and play another sport,” recalls Campbell, who served in the Scottish government in a number of roles. “That informed my time as minister for sport to try to support women and girls to be active and to participate in whatever sport they want. I want to make sure that when we are growing [football] that every girl across Scotland can know that football can be a sport for them. I loved the sport, I loved watching it, I loved playing it every moment I could at primary school.”

“[I want] future generations to know and believe that football is a sport for them and that we have a thriving, flourishing league and leagues that are filled with successful clubs and that girls can turn easily to football and know that there is a place for them wherever they are in Scotland.”

You cannot fault Campbell's enthusiasm for the game or for the challenge that awaits in her new role. You also sense that she will need it for, as the men's game has found to its cost, there are not exactly sponsors lining up to shower football in this country with untold riches.

Nevertheless, there have been major strides taken in Scottish women's football at national and domestic level over the past decade – especially so in the last five years which has brought qualification for the European Championship in 2017, the World Cup in 2019 and Glasgow City's continued progress in the Champions League with Celtic this year becoming the first runner-up to represent Scotland in UEFA's prestigious competition.

During Campbell's first week in the job, however, came news of a hammer blow as Forfar Farmington, one of the top-flight's longest serving clubs, announced its decision to withdraw from the SWPL due to a lack of players.

“It literally happened just as I started and it left us all feeling really heartbroken,” says Campbell. “I think what it does illustrate is that while there has been lots of growth, there is still a fragility around the game that we need to be mindful of.

“It was a family run, community run/led team and has been at the forefront of women's football for such a long time. The impact of their decision has massive reach and everyone was feeling the same regardless of the club that they came from. It had a massive impact.”

So how does the women's game mitigate against it happening again to another club and how does she intend to sell women's football to investors?

“I think what we need to do is really learn from it [the Forfar situation] and work out when growing the game that it is a sustainable growth and to work collaboratively across lots of clubs. My job is to raise the profile of women's football, to attract new audiences, increase interest and get more participants and I am really excited about that challenge ahead.

“I think this is where we really need to understand who is watching the game and who is enjoying it because I know anecdotally that during, for instance, this last year when people have been looking to watch live sport a whole range of different people have enjoyed watching the women's game on BBC Alba. If the visibility is increasing then how do we maximise that opportunity? How do we make sure that even more people can enjoy the game and the women's game in particular?”

The obvious answer is investment and, specifically, the thorny issue of professionalism in Scotland where just a handful of clubs are full-time. It leaves Campbell – and the rest of the women's game – facing a chicken and egg scenario: the big money only comes when broadcasters and sponsors want to pay handsomely for a high-quality product but in order to raise standards exponentially and keep the best talent in Scotland, clubs need the money, especially when heavyweights in England have picked up such veritable talents as Caroline Weir, Erin Cuthbert, Lucy Graham and Claire Emslie for free.

Campbell was recently ordered not to give an “unfair advantage” to her new employers by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), the UK watchdog on jobs taken by former ministers and top civil servants.

“It doesn't restrict my ability to go out and forge new partnerships. What it clearly sets out is where a former minister has to not be involved or engaged with government but for me it doesn't limit my opportunity to engage with new funders or broadcasting opportunities. I want to be visible, I want to be seen as a champion for women's football and I want to use my appointment to signal a new chapter in our organisation.”

Last month, the SFA published its strategy for womens' and girls' football for the next four years. Entitled Accelerate Our Game the strategy has challenged SWF to double revenue in the domestic club game. At first glance, there is a lot of the what contained in the document, less so the how but Campbell says that with her, the new national team coach, Pedro Martínez Losa, and Fiona McIntyre (the new head of womens' and girls' development), in situ it is time to start fleshing out plans.

“What I now have the chance to do is put the meat to the bones, to operationalise that, to see what intangible things that we need to action. It's an exciting time.”