Why I give: Fiona Goodchild
As a member of our Family Programme, Fiona Goodchild supports women’s football at St Andrews. Her generosity has enabled additional support for coaching, travel, training, and player wellbeing. Last year, Fiona was on the sidelines cheering on the University’s 1st team – which included her granddaughter, Maggie – when they won the Scottish Cup. Here, she shares what inspired her to donate to Saints Football.
I grew up in Scotland and spent summer holidays in St Andrews. I went on to study at the University of Glasgow and competed against St Andrews on the athletics and basketball teams. At that time, there were only four universities in Scotland (Aberdeen, Edinburgh, St Andrews and Glasgow), so it meant I competed at St Andrews on several occasions. It always seems like a very welcoming academic community.
I was thrilled when my daughter, Anne, decided to spend a year at St Andrews (1993-1994) through a study abroad programme with the University of California.
The St Andrews connection continued when my granddaughter, Maggie Cahill, decided she, too, was interested in studying at St Andrews. She had heard so much about studying in Scotland from my daughter and myself, so I was thrilled when she decided to take up the offer of earning her degree at the University.
I have been able to see Maggie play football at St Andrews and was struck by the opportunity she had to pursue both world-class academic studies and sport at a nationally competitive level. I was so glad to see that, at St Andrews, she was able to pursue both interests.
When Maggie began to play football at St Andrews, I was impressed by the level of support that the University offers to female footballers. It is just fantastic that they have access to a dedicated Director of Football, great coaching, and the performance suite at Saints Sport.
Maggie has had a fantastic experience and has played on the team for four years – her first on the women’s 2s and three on the women’s 1s. She has also served as Club treasurer for the last year. Last year, the team won the BUCS National Women’s Championship and the year before they were BUCS Premier League North Champions. A first for St Andrews in any sport! I was particularly pleased to be able to see the team win the Scottish Cup in 2025. I’m based in the US, so I’ve also been able to see some of the matches when they have been broadcast online via YouTube and I follow the team on social media. What a thrill it was to watch them win the BUCS Championship against the University of Nottingham last spring!
Competing in sport has been a life-changing opportunity for me and I wanted to see even more women given the chance to play. I wanted to complement the existing resources at St Andrews, and to make things a little easier for both the coaches and the players.
The Development Office and Saints Sport coaching staff at St Andrews have been exemplary in listening to my interests and sharing their needs, and I have already seen that by supporting Saints Football they have been able to provide more flexibility for the coach in terms of travel and training.
I hope that all female footballers at St Andrews have an equal opportunity to play and can do so without compromising their academic endeavours. I love engaging with the teams and being part of their journey. It has brought me much joy!
For more information about opportunities with Saints Sport, contact Katie Birrell at [email protected]