Scottish Women's Football

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Celtic have signed 19-year-old striker Isabella Fisher on a two-year deal following the expiration of her contract at Burnley.

Fisher progressed through the ranks at Arsenal's academy and has spent time with Ipswich Town, Watford and Burnley and the forward has also earned 19 caps for England under-17s in the last three years, scoring eight goals in that time.

The forward also netted her first goal for Celtic in Sunday's 1-0 pre-season friendly win over Durham.

"Issy is an exciting young striker who's shown she can find where the back of the net is," head coach Grant Scott told club media of the striker's arrival.

"She will bring pace and an added edge to our forward line, we are delighted she has chosen to join Celtic as the next steps in her career."

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Scotland midfielder Chloe Arthur has rejoined first club Celtic following her exit from WSL side Crystal Palace.

Arthur, who has 35 caps for her country, spent four years at Palace and helped them return to the English top flight last season.

Prior to her four-year spell in London, she played for Aston Villa, rivals Birmingham City and Bristol City.

The 31-year-old started her career at Celtic in 2011 and left to join Hibernian three years later.

Arthur said: "It's kind of like a full circle moment for me. Obviously, I grew up here in the academy. I went away for just over 10 years.

"But to come back and there's familiar faces, the players, the staff, obviously back at the training ground and it's where I grew up."

Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Rangers head coach Leanne Crichton has been speaking to the media before her side face Ajax in their Women's Champions League qualifier on Saturday.

Here are the main points:

• Crichton concedes taking on the Dutch side will be a "huge test" as they seek to reach the play-off round.

• Rangers reached the final of the mini-tournament they are hosting by coming from behind to defeat Slavia Prague late on midweek. The head coach believes that comeback proves they are equipped to take on teams at this level and they will "back ourselves", though squad absences make it a harder task.

• Crichton added a win of that nature helps with team bonding, given the number of new faces, saying "nothing bonds a group of players any better than winning games of football".

• She added "the way we handled the game was super impressive for this stage of the season" and they need to try and maintain that against Ajax.

• The former Scotland midfielder admitted the fallback of a Europa Cup qualifying place does take an element of pressure off, although remaining in the Champions League is the priority.

• Crichton also said making European football a mainstay is how to move the club forward and add to their ability to recruit "in a different type of market" with the aim of becoming "a force in European football".

• She expects a "tough game" against Ajax, who have made some "real strong key additions to their team" with a squad that is able to handle the quick turnaround in games. Given that, Crichton plans to add "freshness" to her team.

David Currie
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Rangers head coach Leanne Crichton has been speaking to the media before her side begin their Women's Champions League qualifying campaign against Slavia Prague on Wednesday.

Here are the main points:

• Crichton says she's "excited" about hosting the mini-tournament at Broadwood but "hasn't thought too much" about taking charge of her first Champions League qualifier.

• The winner of Rangers' game against Slavia progress to face Ajax or Brondby at the weekend, and Crichton says being at home is "brilliant because there's no upheaval... we've not had to think about travel and logistics".

• Crichton hopes "it will be an advantage on the pitch" but admits Rangers are "up against top opposition and know there won't be any easy games".

• The Rangers boss is urging her players to "embrace the opportunity" of playing in Europe and hopes her side will "show the team that we want to be this season".

• And the former Scotland international feels her squad are "looking very good" and "ready to go and compete this week".

• But she's expecting Slavia to be "a tough nut to crack" although does believe "there are vulnerabilities we can try and expose and exploit".

• Crichton believes her squad is "more than capable" of managing "the demands of all four competitions" in Europe and domestically.

• While Crichton admits "domestically is the focus, we want to win the league this season" she hopes "European football can help us get there".

• Rangers have also confirmed the appointment of Leanne's brother Colin Crichton as assistant head coach to replace Andy Thomson, who took over as Hearts boss earlier this summer.

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SWPL champions Hearts have signed defender Ebonie Locke on a short-term loan from Birmingham City.

The teenager links up with Hearts as they travel to Denmark for their Champions League qualifier against FC Gintra.

Locke came through the ranks at Birmingham's academy and signed her first professional deal with the English outfit last summer.

Prior to a loan spell at Derby County last January, the full-back made her senior debut in a League Cup game against Leicester before joining the Rams where she made 10 appearances and scored once.

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Hibernian have announced the signing of 35-year-old Australia striker Kyah Simon on a one-year deal.

Simon has 29 goals in 111 games for her country, although has not played for the Matildas since 2022.

She has played for several clubs in her homeland, enjoying goalscoring spells at Sydney FC and Melbourne City.

Her football career has taken her around the globe, racking up appearances in the US, Netherlands and England where she played for Tottenham.

Most recently, she played for Dijon in France.

Head coach Joelle Murray said: "Kyah has competed at the very highest level throughout her career, and we're excited for our players to learn from her experience.

"We're looking forward to seeing the influence she'll have as we continue to build a competitive and ambitious environment."

Simon added: "As soon as I spoke with Joelle, I knew this was the right move for me.

"I'm really excited for a new challenge in Scottish football, and to be fighting alongside this team for silverware this season."

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Versatile Ukraine forward Yuliia Khrystiuk is targeting the SWPL title after signing for Hibs on a two-year contract.

The 23-year-old, who has seven international caps, moves to Meadowbank after playing in America with USL W League club Asheville City and college side Old Dominion Monarchs.

Khrystiuk said: "I'm super excited to join the group. The girls and coaching staff have been super welcoming.

"I just can't wait to get started and be a part of this amazing club. The goal is to help Hibs get back to winning titles and competing in European competitions."

Khrystiuk can play anywhere across the front and head coach Joelle Murray added: "She's a winger with unbelievable physical and technical attributes, and we believe she'll add a real attacking threat to our squad."

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Eva Hendle has joined Rangers on a season-long loan from Chelsea, with the 18-year-old saying she had a "good gut feeling" about the move.

Winger Hendle is the seventh summer signing under Ibrox boss Leanne Crichton.

Hendle has played for Chelsea's youth sides and will make her senior debut for Rangers.

"I am really excited; it is a huge club with a great history, and I am buzzing to be a part of it," she said.

"I was shocked; it happened quite quickly. I just had a good gut feeling about it and I went with it. It has been good so far."

Head coach Crichton said: "Eva is a player we've been tracking closely and we're excited to add someone with her quality, potential and mentality to our squad."

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Hibernian forward Tegan Bowie has joined Serie A side Parma Calcio on a permanent deal for an undisclosed fee after the Italian club triggered a release clause in her contract.

Bowie was part of the Hibs academy in her youth before joining Celtic but the winger returned to Edinburgh in 2023 where she has cemented herself as a key member of the squad.

The 22-year-old made 101 appearances and scored nine goals for Hibs. She played an important part in their title-winning season in 2024-25, scoring five goals and setting up a further 10.

"I'm disappointed to see Tegan leave under a clause that was in her contract from summer 2025," head coach Joelle Murray told club media.

"She's grown and developed massively during her time at the club, both as a player and a person.

"I wish her nothing but success as she takes on this new challenge in a new country with a new team. Hopefully she can continue that incredible personal growth next season and beyond."

Bowie thanked Hibs and said: "I've gotten to experience some of my favourite memories with this team and being able to have the freedom to express myself on the pitch has helped me in my development."

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Edinburgh and Glasgow clubs will feature in SWPL games broadcast on BBC platforms in August.

On the opening day - Sunday, 16 August - Glasgow City v Celtic (16:10 BST) will be shown on BBC Alba, iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

And there will be two fixtures shown on Sunday, 30 August.

Celtic v Hibernian (13:00) will be shown on the BBC Sport website and app as well as iPlayer and reigning champions Hearts' home match with Rangers (16:10) will be on BBC Alba and the same BBC digital platforms as the earlier match involving Celtic and Hibs.

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Montrose were the only top flight side to win their League Cup opener by beating Motherwell while fellow SWPL side Aberdeen were beaten by relegated Hamilton Accies.

Jack Beesley's promoted side Spartans drew with Queen's Park but secured the first ever bonus point win of the competition with a 4-2 victory on penalties.

Motherwell found themselves a goal in front inside three minutes when Montrose visited K-Park thanks to Chelsie Watson's early strike, a lead they held on to for the entirety of the first half.

Montrose hit back early in the second through Demi Taylor who added a second minutes later to put the visitors in front and Kaela McDonald-Nguah added a third just before full-time.

SWPL side Aberdeen, who stayed up via the play-offs last term, were beaten 2-1 by relegated Hamilton Accies for the first time in three years.

Iona Watt scored the opener for Aberdeen to give them a one goal advantage at the break. Chloe Muir levelled for Accies with just over 20 minutes to play before striker Josi Giard added their second a minute later.

Queen's Park scored first at they hosted Spartans courtesy of Summer Thomson but the visitors hit back through Niamh Noble in the second half.

The sides couldn't be separated in the 90 minutes and played out a penalty shootout for a bonus point, a change new to this year's competition, which Spartans won 4-2.

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Midfielder Sophie Rutherford is the third player to join Motherwell on loan from SWPL rivals Rangers this summer.

Rutherford will link up with Mia McArthur and Saoirse Coyle-Morrow at the North Lanarkshire club, who have also signed Ellie MacDonald after her Queen's Park exit.

Rutherford and MacDonald were team-mates at Queen's Park in SWPL2 last season.

Lucy Sinclair has returned to the club after a stint at Partick Thistle, while teenage defender Olivia McStay has arrived from Hamilton Academical and forward Morgan Anderson has moved from Gartcairn.

"Sophie has already gained a strong level of senior experience, and we felt that she was more than ready to make the step into the top-flight," said head coach Iain Robinson.

On MacDonald, he added: "Ellie is a player that I've worked with previously and she became an absolute standout for Queens Park last season.

"She really adds a new dynamic to our midfield and plenty of competition for places."

On her return, Sinclair said: "I'm really excited to be back. I feel like a completely different player and person from the one that last walked through the doors at Fir Park."

McStay came through the academy at Celtic, with Robinson saying: "Despite her young age, she brings experience from the last two-seasons and plenty of space to develop the talent she has."

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Rangers have sold goalkeeper Telma Ivarsdottir to Vikingur Reykjavik in her homeland.

The 27-year-old, who has 12 caps for Iceland, joined the Scottish Women's Premier League club from Breidablik last year.

But she only made three appearances for Rangers before joining Inter Milan on loan in February.

She returned to Ibrox having played just once for the Italians and has now returned to Iceland to join the side sitting bottom of the Besta Deild Kvenna after 12 games of the 2026, with former club Breidablik currently second.