Rose Reilly’s claim to being an all-time football great is beyond dispute.
The Ayrshire-born striker won everything the Scottish women’s game had to offer in the early 1970s, prompting her to switch to the professional ranks with French side Reims.
Despite a dispute with the Scottish Women’s FA leading to Reilly receiving an open-ended ban from playing for Scotland, she went on to star in Italian football with top clubs in Milan, Catania and Lecce.
A stunning career
She twice finished as Serie A’s top goalscorer and, incredibly, earned 22 caps for the Azzurri – captaining her adopted country to victory in 1984’s edition of the Mundialito, the unofficial women’s world cup.
Twelve years after retiring, Rose was inducted into Scotland’s sports and football halls of fame in 2007, as long overdue recognition here finally came her way.
All-female grassroots comedy outfit Witsherface’s new one-woman play Rose stars Christina Strachan and follows the multiple Serie A title-winner’s rise from working-class teenager to the world’s greatest female footballer.
Directed by Still Game star Maureen Carr and written by Lorna Martin, the work’s debut Scottish tour kicked off earlier this week in Perth.
It reaches sold-out Stirling on Wednesday, then St Andrews the following night, with Rose Reilly, now 67, taking part in post-show discussions.
- Tickets at byretheatre.com
