Stewarton Annick Ladies, an amateur club from Ayrshire, are preparing for a 700-mile round trip to fulfil a Scottish Cup first preliminary round tie against Shetland Women. The South West Scottish Women's Football League side have spent roughly three weeks raising about £15,000 to cover flights, accommodation and other costs, with the squad set to fly from Glasgow to Sumburgh and back on the same day to make the fixture work around players' jobs.
The original plan had the team catching an 11:15 flight to arrive in time for a 14:30 kick-off, then flying home the same evening — a schedule that leaves little room for delay. Manager Kris Wales and club captain Ashley Wragg both said the club seriously weighed up forfeiting the tie rather than attempting the logistics, before deciding the opportunity was too rare to turn down.
It was exciting at first, and then we looked at how hard it is logistically to get there. We thought we might have to forfeit, which would mean missing out on next year too if we did that. But now the excitement is there, there's a really good buzz – not many teams at our level can say they have had the chance to fly out for a cup tie.
How did the fixture come about?
Shetland Women are competing in the Scottish Cup for the first time, having formed two years ago and having previously struggled to arrange matches against other women's sides because of the travel costs involved for them in reaching the mainland. For some other competitions the club is required to play home fixtures in Aberdeen, but the Scottish Cup rules allowed them to insist on hosting in Shetland itself for the first time.
The first thing we said to the girls after the draw was that it would take a lot of effort to play the game. It was either an expensive flight or hours on the ferry. On top of that we have work commitments for a lot of the players, so we realised that we would need to be in and out on the day. We did seriously consider forfeiting. Initially, we had two weeks to organise booking transport and sorting all the details, but the game has been moved back a week to give us more time to raise money.
How much is the trip costing – and do the figures agree?
Accounts of the cost vary depending on the source. Stewarton Annick say the overall trip, including flights, transport, insurance, food and drink, has cost around £15,000 to organise. However, according to a local Shetland news outlet, the club was quoted more than £14,000 for flights alone for a travelling party of 19 people, and had raised £3,500 of that through a bonus-ball fundraiser rather than the full sum reported elsewhere. The same outlet reported that accommodation in Lerwick had been estimated at between roughly £2,280 and £3,040 per night for ten twin rooms, with further costs for meals, local transport, insurance and contingency planning still to be added on top.
It's an absolute godsend that people have been donating and helping out, and it shows important how women's football is to some people. The support has been amazing - other clubs and players with other teams have chipped in.
Why did Shetland insist on hosting at home?
Shetland's committee said they wanted the chance to play in front of their own community, to avoid the extra costs of travelling south, and to help raise the profile of women's football on the islands, according to the same local report. A separate report from the outlet noted that Stewarton Annick had asked for the tie to be switched to a neutral venue in Aberdeen, but that request was turned down by Shetland, who were determined to stage their first-ever Scottish Cup match on home turf.
Last year our home semi-final for the Highlands and Islands League Cup was played in Elgin, which involved an overnight stay that cost over £4,000. This competition is different, the home drawn team get to choose where they play, either in Shetland or a mutually agreeable venue. The committee decided we would really like the opportunity to play this fixture in Shetland.
Club secretary Adam Priest also praised the effort made by the visiting side to get the game on.
Stewarton has really risen to the challenge, they've gone through a huge fundraiser process.
When exactly does the match kick off?
Reported kick-off times for the tie differ across sources. The original account of the fixture gave a 14:30 kick-off tied to an 11:15 flight, while the local Shetland outlet confirmed the tie as an away-home fixture in Lerwick on Sunday 16 August 2026 at 2:45pm. A separate Scottish football fixtures listing, however, has the match scheduled for Gilbertson Park, Lerwick, on the same date but at 12:00pm. The discrepancy has not been resolved in the reporting available, though all versions agree the tie falls on 16 August 2026.
What happens next?
Whoever wins the tie is listed to face Aberdeen West End in the following round, according to a Scottish women's football fixtures schedule. The tie forms part of the 2026-27 competition cycle that follows on from the previous season's Women's Scottish Cup, which the governing body's own format document shows concluded with a final on 31 May 2026.
Kris Wales said the club had no illusions about lifting the trophy but felt the exposure of a good cup run would be valuable in itself.
We know we won't win the cup, but going as far as we can is huge for the whole club. If we go through a few rounds you can start drawing some big names and there's always that hope.
Stewarton Annick's travelling party is due to assemble at Glasgow Airport at around 09:30 on the morning of the match, returning home by about 21:30 after flying into Edinburgh and completing the final leg by car. Some players will need to head back to Glasgow Airport the following day simply to collect vehicles left behind. Ashley Wragg said the one lingering worry for the squad was the prospect of the match going beyond 90 minutes.
Extra time and penalties would be a nightmare - we might miss the flight back.
Key Facts
- Stewarton Annick Ladies, based roughly 350 miles from Shetland, face a 700-mile round trip for the Scottish Cup first preliminary round tie.
- The club reports raising about £15,000 for the trip, while a Shetland outlet cites a flight quote of more than £14,000 for 19 travellers, part-funded by a £3,500 bonus-ball fundraiser.
- This is Shetland Women's first-ever Scottish Cup tie, and the club chose to host it on the islands rather than accept a switch to Aberdeen.
- Reported kick-off times vary between 14:30, 2:45pm and 12:00pm on Sunday 16 August 2026.
- The winner of the tie is scheduled to face Aberdeen West End in the next round.
