On a clear day in Springburn, one cannot see forever, but it is possible to measure how far Scottish women's football has come.
Its progress can be measured in many ways and, in fact, much of it is captured live on television. As the BBC organized its cameras and crowds in Petershill Park, it was an ideal opportunity to capture the moment.
This was the 500th match of the League for City. The Hibs have accumulated the same number. The Premier League SWPL title is found in the balance between four clubs: City, Hibs, Celtic and Rangers.
Women's football in Scotland has traveled a long way. It has a long way to go. But it is worth celebrating the first.
“I guess I have been here since the year DOT – 1998,” says Carol Anne Stuart, Commercial Manager and Joint Founder of City. “I had been involved with football for many years before Laura (Montgomery) and joined to form a city.”
Sixteen Titles of the League and several dramatic incursions of the Champions League later, Stuart opens on the ground two hours before the beginning and says that the catalyst for her was a 'frustration' felt in the state of women's football at that time.
Mairead Fulton de Glasgow tries to prevent Eilidh Adams from Hibs
Hibs players go crazy when the late Kirsty Morrison gives them three big points
Nicole Kozlova of the city of Glasgow is pressed for two visiting midfielders
This feeling has not completely disappeared despite the success of the city. 'What I have learned from training is that things do not move as fast as they like. There have been so many things that we have tried to do during the 25 years that we have failed to do.
'Many people tell us that we have done a lot for women's football, and we have probably done it, but we frustrate ourselves because we still do not have a stadium and there is not much equity in our game in terms of wages and how we are treated. That is still a bit a battle in general.
“But we have dragged people along with us, including the SFA, so we have a lot to be proud.”
The city, with 200 girls in its academy, has prospered as an independent club without support of an established men operation.
“Over the years, we have had conversations with clubs of professional men,” says Stuart. 'We have talked to all the best clubs, with the exception of Celtic, but the offers on the table did not attract us. We want to have everything in our control so that we can achieve our goals.
She has many memories. “The most surreal moment was to be in the board of directors in PSG when we played them in the Champions League,” says Stuart.
But she is more focused on the future. 'There is much to do. We want to build the club as a marker in Glasgow as a city. We want to build our fan base.
Fiona McIntyre has been fundamental in the growth of the female game in Scotland
Fiona McIntyre not only reflects on the trip. She has walked it.
Now, the managing director of SWPL, McIntyre, 41, was once a little girl who trained every week and yearned for a competitive game.
“I was raised in Ardrossan and the closest team was in Largs,” she says. 'I was eight years old and trained every week, but I had to wait until 12 years for competitive football to regulate the weekend. Now the girls can play every week if they want.
'When I played to open in the Premier League, he did not feel different to being an amateur. They were all poor tones and hand kits. Now there are good stadiums, sponsors, people who come to the games.
She is aware that her daughters, aged nine and six, have entered a new world football world. Glasgow City has been central to lead that.
“We must remember that it is also the number 500 Hibs, but what the city has contributed to Scottish football is so unique and unprecedented,” continues McIntyre (below). 'The fact that they are an independent woman club makes them special because they were drivers for so long. They led women's football and drove standards.
'Women's football is in the heart of everything they do. They are concerned about problems beyond football. They conduct equality and opportunity.
This year he sees the first league divided into the SWPL … and one of the most strict title races in Europe
Of the broader ambitions for women's football in Scotland, McIntyre says: 'A large part of our approach is about visibility. We want to change the perceptions of women's football. It was once you had to be a bit marimacho to be a footballer, but the women's players come in all forms and sizes. You can be yourself as a female footballer.
The division will encourage interest since it coincides with what is described as the most competitive title career in Europe. “It's the 10 finals of the Cup for teams among the top six,” says McIntyre. The city lost the first. A tense contest was resolved with a scrambled end. It was the last moment of the game.
He asked for a desire for women's football, says: 'Better facilities, tailored to women's football. I would love a specific stage in the north, south, east and west of the country. Clubs are quite nomadic and that does not help cultivate a crowd. You need a focal point.
It is not only the club that has paid its quotas, but also the past players. City invited all the former players to their 500 -game and Kirstin Abercombie spoke with a smile of past times. “I was in the first team in the city in 1998,” she says. 'He was joking with some players on that first side that we should send to City an invoice. We pay quotas to play then.
Abercrombie, a social worker, was recruited after playing football at the university and played for three seasons before the injuries ended his career.
A central half, she was a player of the year in her first season, which is not surprised since the team only granted two goals throughout the campaign. “Those were great days,” she says. 'Great days. I would like City to get a new stadium to allow the club to grow even more. ''
Glasgow City players curl up before the start at Petershill Park
Karen McPhee's memories cover a quarter of a century. “I came to live in North Glasgow in 2000 and immediately looked for a team to support,” he says, his orange and black colors that declare his loyalty.
“My best memory was Sue Lappin in which he went,” he says about the Play-Off of the Champions League against Zurich in 2014 that City won 4-2 to progress to play against the PSG in the knockouts.
'But I have had many good times. The fact that we win is very nice.
A moment in Pitchsis has stayed with her. 'Once, when we won the League, Nicola Docherty, now with the Rangers, approached to the field to take a photo with a girl's fan. Nic then put his medal around the girl's neck, saying: “Keep it.”
Therefore, one of the eight winning medals of Docherty is a precious possession for a young girl somewhere.
McPhee is optimistic about the future. “Success does not surprise me,” she says. “I don't want to be a sexist, but when you have women in charge, they tend to bloom.”
Hibs players celebrate after opening a two -point advantage at the top of the table
His love for women's football is reinforced by the atmosphere on the grounds. “There is none of these tribal nonsense that you find in male football,” she says.
His father, Donald Mckellar, is in the game. It is a supporter of the Rangers and finds reasons to smile later in the afternoon despite the defeat of the city.
A follower passes and observes: “This is the biggest game of Scotland today.”
Not at all, maybe. But it is one that has a historical meaning far beyond the 1000 combined games.