SW/S Pioneers in Sport

The Scottish Women in Sport Hall of Fame, launched in 2018, is an award to recognize and honour Scottish female athletes who have made an outstanding contribution to Scottish sport, including women who were considered pioneers in their sport in their day. 

The hall of fame was created by Maureen McGonigle, Scottish Women in Sport’s chief executive, along with Dr Fiona Skillen, senior lecturer and sports historian at Glasgow Caledonian University. 

The inaugural ceremony launching the SWiS Hall of Fame took place at the GoGlasgow Hotel in May 2018 and was hosted by world, European and Commonwealth swimming champion Hannah Miley. Inductees were split across two categories – ‘Past Pioneers’, those women who had broken down barriers and contributed significantly to their sports but had passed away and ‘Pioneers’ those who had also made significant contributions to their sports but were still active. The award was developed to celebrate not only those who participate on the pitch or field but also those who contribute to the success of the sport ’behind the scenes’ such as managers, coaches, administrators, physiotherapists and so on. Women are nominated biannually by the public and national sporting bodies, and chosen by a selected panel of experts to be inducted.

Our first inductees back in 2018 were:

Past Pioneers

Edna Neillis (football), Helen Graham (football), Isabel Newstead (swimming and shooting), and Marjorie Langmuir (badminton, hockey and tennis) were all confirmed in March 2018 to be inducted.

Pioneers

Belle Robertson (golf), Joan Watt (physiotherapy), Kari Carswell (cricket), and Maggie McEleny (swimming) also joined the list as 2018 inductees.

This award was revived in 2021 and incorporated into the SW/S Awards Dinner. The winners since then are:

2021 – Gillian Lindsay (Rowing)
2022 – Ravenscraig Women’s Football Team
2023 – Eilidh Doyle (Athletics)