PFA Scotland chief executive Fraser Wishart says his organisation's inaugural women's player of the year awards will have equal status with the men's when the annual dinner is held in Glasgow on Sunday night.
It will be a historic occasion for the women's game north of the border, and Wishart said: “We've had members in the SWPL for the last 18 months. They're fully fledged members of the union, so it's only right that they have the same awards as the men.
“On the night they'll be given equal billing. Not only do we want to represent them and look after them, but if we can elevate their profile by involving them in these awards I think that's hugely helpful to the game in Scotland.”
The PFA in England introduced women's awards at the end of the 2012-13 season, with Scotland's Kim Little, who is now the Arsenal captain, the first recipient. At the time SWPL 1 was amateur, but Celtic, Glasgow City and Rangers are now fully professional with other clubs having players on part-time contracts.
The nominations for the inaugural player-of-the-year award – as voted for by their peers – reflect the domination of the top three clubs. Celtic, who won the League Cup in December and are in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup, have two nominees, with title chasing Rangers and City one each.
The three top scorers in SWPL 1 – Charlie Wellings (Celtic, 32), Lizzie Arnot (Rangers, 25) and Priscila Chinchilla (Glasgow City, 22) – are all in the frame. The fourth candidate, Jacynta Galabadaarachchi, is also a forward.
Arnot, who is 26 and the oldest of the quartet, is the only Scot. Wellings scored a goal for Birmingham City against Manchester City at Wembley in the 2017 FA Cup final, while Chinchilla is from Costa Rica and Jacynta from Australia.
The latter two are also contenders for the young player award along with Aberdeen's Bayley Hutchison and Maria Mcaneny of Hearts.
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