Freemium title, Sportswoman, a glossy print magazine which is also available in digital format, focuses on inspirational stories, featuring everyone from Olympians, Paralympians and professional athletes to amateurs, in Scotland and beyond.
The launch issue has in-depth interviews with rowing legend, and London 2102 Gold medallist, Katherine Grainger, former British mountain bike champion Lee Craigie, Shelley Kerr, the first woman to manage a senior men’s football team and Paralympian Libby Clegg.
Team Ford EcoBoost cyclist Charline Joiner, a Commonwealth Games silver medallist and personal trainer, provides professional tips in her health and fitness column.
A Sportswoman Magazine spokesperson said: “Our aim is to redress the balance in coverage of women’s sport, particularly from Scottish athletes’ point of view.
“There are some fantastic stories which just aren’t being told just now in some mainstream publications due a lack of space or interest.
“Our aim is to bring these to a female audience and offer readers and advertisers a dynamic new experience. It offers broader, multi-sport coverage in a high-quality print and digital magazine format and is about celebrating success and a love of sport at all levels.
“With the rise of digital ad blocking and the fact that print magazines still enjoy an unrivalled level of engagement with readers, we believe Sportswoman offers advertisers of all sizes a targeted audience and a high degree of relevance partnered with high-quality, valued content.
“It also speaks to a groundswell of female support for more media interest, recognition and parity in the sporting world.
“The majority of athletes in the pages of our launch edition have performed at the highest level across the globe but some are far from being the household names they deserve to be.
“The lack of coverage celebrating these achievements leads to a lack of role models which is undoubtedly one of the issues which sees young women less likely to be involved in life-enhancing sport.
"It also leads in turn to a paucity of sponsorship investment in women’s sport.
“It’s also fair to say that, although some big brands have woken up to the potential and power of women’s sport, there is still plenty of room for growth in the female sports market.”
Sportswoman editor-at-large Myrid Ramsay, a former daily newspaper executive and PR expert, said: “This is a welcome and much-needed development in the evolving improvement in coverage of women's sport. There are inspirational stories happening across Scotland every day. Now there is a platform for those stories to be shared to inspire girls and women to take up sport, any sport, and to enjoy what it can bring to life. It's an exciting time for women in sport in Scotland.”
The launch edition is being distributed across Scotland. As well as being available at selected supermarkets, and to commuters and shoppers at key sites in Glasgow and Edinburgh, it will be available at airports, luxury hotels and gyms. It is projected that print distribution will rise to 20,000 by the new year, say the publishers.
Maureen McGonigle, who founded the charity Scottish Women in Sport, said: “This is a memorable day for women's sport in Scotland as they now have a top class publication solely focused on them. So many achievements and good news stories have gone unheard in the past.
“Sportswoman Magazine will change this but continued support of this magazine is needed to ensure its future.”
A digital copy of Sportswoman is available here.
