THE Scottish Football Association (SFA) has closed its performance school programme amid a review of its youth development.
The programme, which began in 2012, sees young football players receive elite performance training alongside their regular schooling from S1-S4.
The programme at Broughton High School in Edinburgh is among seven set for closure.
The system has provided the springboard for some exciting talent from Scotland over the years, with Napoli midfielder Billy Gilmour and Everton defender Nathan Patterson attending the performance schools, but it is understood that a lack of talent now coming through is part of the reason that the schools have been closed.
The SFA announced the news in a letter to 248 parents of S1 to S4 children enrolled in the system.
It said that the decision was based on a “range of factors”.
In addition to concerns about a lack of talent, the SFA expressed a desire to “avoid duplication” with similar programmes set up by Scottish clubs.
It also said it takes heart that Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Dundee, and Dundee United have mimicked the programme and set up their own youth programmes in collaboration with schools.
The SFA have signalled a shift towards support of clubs’ efforts to develop talent and have said it does not wish to step on the toes of the youth development efforts of Scottish clubs.
This is amid a report, set to be released soon, into future development for elite youth players by chief football officer Andy Gould.
Gould said today: “The Review of Youth Development in Scottish Football looks into global best practice in the development of young talent and examines how we can improve the pathway for our most talented players.
“While this naturally looks at trends within football it also looks at the commonalities between elite talent in other sports, as well as professions such as music and the arts.
“This has been undertaken in the context of how the Scottish football player development pathway has evolved since the launch of the performance strategy more than a decade ago: which initiatives need to be refreshed and updated, and which need to be revisited entirely.
“It’s no secret Scottish football has finite financial resource, so the recommendations have been made on the principle of maximising that resource to deliver the best results for talented young players – in the words of Arsene Wenger ‘to give every talent a chance’.
“The decision to phase-out our Performance Schools is not one that we have taken lightly.
“Based on our evidence from the review, the national association’s focus should be on the more impressionable age of birth to 12 years old, rather than potentially duplicating or conflicting with clubs’ own development plans.
“Similarly, a country of our size cannot credibly fund 27 academies while we have a well-known and long-standing challenge in seeing academy players graduate to first-team football.
“At present the criteria-based system is not producing top-class players and has become, anecdotally, a tick-box exercise to unlock funding.
The seven schools constituting the programme were Hazlehead Academy in Aberdeen, St John’s RC in Dundee, Broughton High School in Edinburgh, Graeme High School in Falkirk, Holyrood Secondary School in Glasgow, Grange Academy in Kilmarnock and Braidhurst High School in Motherwell.
Billy Gilmour, Nathan Patterson, Calvin Ramsey, Connor Barron, Max Johnston, and Andy Irving have all made appearances for the Scotland first team after graduating from the programme.
However, an SFA transition report from last year showed that Scotland lags behind other similarly sized countries in giving opportunities to young players.
This has prompted a significant overhaul of the way Scotland develops its youth players.
Gould continued: “There are various models that exist, and we need to provide a better system for Scottish football, one that helps players maximise and – crucially – realise their potential, but also provides a flexibility of academy structure that clubs can choose based on their resources.
“This review is a commitment to harnessing investment in the right areas – as proven in the case studies we have highlighted.
“It is also to highlight the importance of looking beyond formal, organised, structured football and looking at a holistic approach in the early years, with emphasis on mastery of the ball and love of the game: founded on a freedom of expression and increasing free-to-play environments.”
The move to close the schools along with a co-operation agreement between the SFA and clubs forms one stage of the plan.
A review of the wider Scottish elite academy structure, which incorporates similar youth football programmes but at lower levels is also due for consideration in Gould’s report.
