Rachael Johnstone (born 2 March 2004) is a Scottish footballer who plays as a

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

for Heart of Midlothian. She has previously played for

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

and

Spartans Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the valley of Evrotas river in Laconia, in southeastern P ...

, and has represented Scotland at under-17 and under-19 level.

Early life

Johnstone was born in Glasgow in 2004 and was brought up on the

Isle of Lewis The Isle of Lewis () or simply Lewis () is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides archipelago in Scotland. The two parts are frequently referred to as if they were separate islands. The t ...

where her interest in football began. She began playing for Stornoway Athletic's under 15 boys team – an outfield player who got placed in goal temporarily, impressing when she did. By the age of 14 she was chosen for the Scotland national team at that age level, making her debut in a match against Poland.

Club career

Celtic

At the age of 16, Johnstone was in the first team squad at Celtic while also playing in the Scotland under-17 team. Her family and particularly her mother Rhona were very supportive of her ambitions, but the long distance between her home in Lewis and Glasgow made attending matches and training difficult. In November 2020, she moved closer to Glasgow, living in a flat in Paisley that she shared with five other teammates. In September 2021, Johnstone signed her first professional contract with Celtic. She played in the 2021 Scottish Women's Premier League Cup final and

2022 Scottish Women's Cup final The 2022 Scottish Women's Cup Final was the 49th official final (51st overall) of the Scottish Women's Cup, Scottish Women’s Cup, the most prestigious knockout association football, football competition in Scotland. The match was played on 29 ...

, both against Glasgow City, Celtic winning the trophies with 1–0 and 3–2 victories.

Hearts

On 18 January 2024, following a spell at

on loan from Celtic, Johnstone signed an 18-month contract with fellow SWPL team Heart of Midlothian, with the option of a further year extension. Johnstone made her Edinburgh Derby debut in September 2024, which resulted in a 4-0 win for Heart of Midlothian at Easter Road. In July 2025, Johnstone signed a two-year contract extension with Heart of Midlothian until the summer of 2027.

International career

Johnstone was not originally in the 26-player Scotland squad to play in the

2022 Pinatar Cup The 2022 Pinatar Cup was the second edition of the Pinatar Cup, an international women's football friendly tournament, that was held from 16 to 22 February 2022 in San Pedro del Pinatar, Region of Murcia, Spain. Format The eight invited teams p ...

, but injuries to

Erin Cuthbert Erin Jacqueline Cuthbert (born 19 July 1998) is a Scottish professional association football, footballer who plays for Chelsea F.C. Women, Chelsea in the Women's Super League and is a member of the Scotland women's national football team, Scotl ...

and Chloe Logan resulted in Leah Eddie and Johnstone being called up to the squad.

Personal life

In 2022, Johnstone was playing football with an ambition to study business. She wore the number 52 while at Celtic, which is the same as her family's house number in Balallan in Lewis.

References

2004 births Living people Scottish women's footballers Women's association football goalkeepers People from the Isle of Lewis Celtic F.C. Women players Scottish Women's Premier League players Sportspeople from Scottish islands Heart of Midlothian W.F.C. players 21st-century Scottish sportswomen Spartans W.F.C. players Scotland women's youth international footballers {{Scotland-women-footy-bio-stub