The fifth edition in its history, we are extremely excited to confirm our annual list of the top 30 players in the Scottish Women’s Premier League for 2025.
Scotland midfielder Kirsty McLean become the youngest winner of the award last year before bagging a move across the border to the Women’s Super League with Liverpool in the summer, meaning this year’s list has a new name at the top of the pile.
The second player to move to the English top tier immediately after winning this award, former Celtic’s centre-back Caitlin Hayes claimed the award in 2023 prior to her switch to Brighton, while Scotland centurion and Glasgow City legend Hayley Williams remains our only back-to-back winner, having claimed the honours in 2021 and 2022.
So how does the list work, you may ask? We ask a panel of 10 judges, including current and former SWPL players, coaches, experts, and journalists to name their 10 top best players in order from the top tier over the last 12.
Each judge is given the following rules for voting:
- Only one person per SWPL club can vote.
- Votes cannot include a player from their own club, to ensure choices are not guided by club or professional loyalties.
- The players chosen must be currently playing in the SWPL.
- Vote must remain anonymous.
From here, we used the metric that each player is awarded points for their ranking (ie: position one = 10 points, position two = 9 points, position three = 8 points etc.) we then add together the points from each vote to give us the definitive of the year’s best players in the SWPL.
Here is our annual list of the top 30 players in the Scottish Women's top tier for the year 2025 from position 30 to No 1.
5. 26: Carly Johns - Hearts 🆕 (Last year: N/A)
A revelation since joining the Jambos in the summer, the 23-year-old has contributed to at least a goal a game since arriving from Durham. She has been a key factor in Hearts' excellent first half of the campaign. | Hearts FC Photo: Hearts FC
6. 25: May Cruft - Rangers 🆕 (Last year: N/A)
Cruft is just 16 years old, but plays with a maturity well beyond her years. A regular in Rangers' midfield, Cruft has exploded onto the scene since being given the chance by head coach Leanne Critchton, with the Glasgow giants moving fast to tie her down to a three-year contract earlier in the season. The youngest player on this year’s top 30 list, she has a huge future ahead of herself. | Rangers FC Photo: Rangers FC
7. 24: Sophia Määttä - Glasgow City 🆕 (Last year: N/A)
The Glasgow City speed demon is arguably the league's fastest player. Capable of providing from either flank, the Finnish international has an astonishing 11 goal contributions in just eight league starts this season. Still just 21. | SNS Group Photo: SNS Group
8. 23: Morgan Cross - Celtic 🆕 (Last year: N/A)
Capable of playing multiple positions across the frontline, the Kirkcaldy-born striker is known as a clutch player, due to her knack of scoring big goals at pivotal moments. | SNS Group / SFA Photo: SNS Group