ℹ️ Rachael Boyle
Name: Rachael Boyle
Date of birth: 20/12/1991
Place of birth: Aberdeen
Nationality: Scottish
Language: English
Club: Hibernian FC Women
Favourite position: Right Back
Favourite foot: Right
⚽️ Club History:
Aberdeen FC Women | Youth
Forfar Farmington FC | Youth-2013
Aberdeen FC Women | 2013-2016
Hibernian WFC | 2016-…
🎙️ Interview:
Introduce yourself…
My name is Rachael Boyle. I am the captain of Hibernian Women and have played for the club for 10 years now.
How difficult was it for girls in the North East of Scotland to find opportunities in football when you were growing up?
Extremely difficult. I had no idea girls/women’s football was even a thing until I got to the age of about 14/15 when I was no longer allowed to play competitively with the boys and had to find a girls team to continue playing.
You came through the ranks at Aberdeen Women FC. What did it mean to wear the shirt of your hometown club for the first time?
I loved my time at Aberdeen. I started with the first team when I was 14/15 years old and eventually became captain and leading the team to its highest ever finish in the top division. I met my best friends there and got to play alongside them every week. I look back on my time there with nothing but fond memories.
What convinced you that moving to Forfar Farmington was the right step in 2010?
At the time I was striving to play for the Scotland National Team and Aberdeen were competing in the lower half of the league. I wanted to challenge myself in the top half to give me the best opportunity to get called up to the national team.
Is there something you learned at Forfar Farmington that you couldn’t have learned by staying at Aberdeen?
I grew up as a person off the pitch at Forfar. I was out of my comfort zone, left my friends to play elsewhere and had to travel some distance for training and matches while holding a full time job so it was about managing that workload and looking after myself. I loved my time at Forfar, we had a great group of girls which made it easy to fit in and with the younger generation of players coming through at the time (Kelly Clark, Amy Gallacher, Lucy Graham (Hope) just to name a few) we had a fantastic team which went on to finish 2nd in the league and reached the Scottish Cup Final which was the most successful season in the clubs history I believe.
You captained Scotland Under-19s at the UEFA finals in Macedonia. What did that experience teach you about leadership? And did you always see yourself as a natural leader?
I think that taught me responsibility and accountability. I wanted to lead by example as I wasn’t the loudest character in the team. I felt the best way to lead a team was to try and carry myself in the correct manner whether that be on the pitch in games and training or off the pitch in day to day life. I don’t see myself as a leader, I just see myself as one of the team but If others feel that way about me then it’s a nice compliment.
Why did you decide to return to Aberdeen in 2013? And was there a particular season or match during your second spell at Aberdeen that stands out?
I tore my hamstring while at Forfar and that period became really difficult. I was finding travelling, football, work, life balance all quite hard at the time. I chose to return to Aberdeen to get my enjoyment for football back. I was back in my hometown playing with my best friends again and reignited my love for the game again. During my second spell is when we ran Celtic close for 3rd place. It was the last day of the season to decide who finished 3rd. Celtic got awarded a last minute penalty to draw the game which meant we finished 4th which still haunts me to this day but it was Aberdeen’s highest finish in the league which was quite an achievement.
What attracted you to Hibernian in 2016? And what were your first impressions when you walked into the dressing room?
Hibs were a huge club in women’s football who regularly competed for titles and it was an opportunity for me to join them and challenge myself against some of the best players on a weekly basis at training. When I first joined I can remember barely touching the ball at training as I wasn’t used to the intensity of their training, it was night and day from what I had been used to at Aberdeen. The group at the time was great for integrating me into the squad, myself and Shiv (Siobhan Hunter) still talk about how we used to kick and argue with each other and now we’ve become such good friends over the years.
Which trophy win with Hibs means the most to you and why?
The trophy wins all have a special meaning in their own way. The league cup win in 2019 when we beat Glasgow City on penalties was special for me as it was the first trophy I won since becoming a mother. I gave birth in September 2018 then in May 2019 we were lifting the trophy. That was the moment when I felt I was back to my fitness levels after playing 120 mins and scoring a penalty. It made me realise that I was able to compete with the countries best players again. However the League Title in 2025 is probably the most special. I was back playing with the team again after being out through pregnancy and ACL for a long time. To lift the trophy with this team for the first time in 18 years after winning at Ibrox on the last day of the season, it was the stuff of dreams. For all the success Hibs have had over the years and the list of great players that have played for the club, the league title was always the trophy that we couldn’t quite get our hands on ….until we did!!
You have earned more than 45 caps for Scotland. Which achievement while representing your country gives you the greatest satisfaction?
Obviously the first cap is memorable and every cap you earn after that is an honour but I feel the most pride in being selected for my country again after giving birth to my first child. To walk out and sing the national anthem while looking up at my baby girl in the stands with my husband and family, it’s a memory that I will cherish forever.
