At least two young Scottish players to start cup games under new SFA proposals

At least two Scottish players under the age of 21 would have to start cup games under new proposals to increase game time for youngsters across Scotland next season.

All 42 SPFL clubs gathered in St Andrews on Friday for what the Scottish FA described as a “critically important” forum on the future of the national game.

It comes after Scotland slipped to 18th in UEFA’s coefficient rankings.

The governing body’s new chief football officer, Craig Mulholland, announced three proposals aimed at increasing playing opportunities for young players.

Two under-21 Scotland-eligible players start in all Scottish Gas Scottish Cup matches, with one player on the pitch at all times
Two under-21 Scotland-eligible players start in all Premier Sports Cup matches, with one player on the pitch at all times
Under-21 Scotland-eligible players in all four William Hill SPFL leagues to play an average of 60 minutes per game, across the season (6% of available minutes)

Under the league recommendation, clubs that fail to reach the target of an average of 60 minutes per game across the season would be deducted 10% of their final placing prize money.

The funds would then be redistributed among the clubs that have achieved the target.

The proposals will be put to a vote at a Scottish FA General Meeting in October and the SPFL’s AGM in November.

‘We need to plan for the next generation’

The Scottish FA also announced that £1m would be made available to clubs to incentivise increased game time for under-21 Scotland-eligible players.

The plans were put to clubs by the SFA’s chief executive Ian Maxwell and Craig Mulholland at a conference held at the Old Course Hotel in St Andrews, titled ‘Made in Scotland?’.

They come in the wake of information revealing that under-21 Scottish-eligible players played just 18,706 minutes in the top flight last year, compared to 80,345 minutes back in 2013.

The current figure for the SPFL Premiership sits at 4.1%, below the European average of 8% and significantly behind comparable leagues such as the Danish Superliga, which leads the way on 15.3%.

Maxwell said that the meeting was “the start” of Scottish football, creating more opportunities for young players.

He said: “We are all in agreement that Scottish football needs to create more opportunities for young players to gain regular first-team experience, and we strongly believe that today our proposals are the next positive steps towards achieving this goal. Today’s meeting was the start of that process.

“Scotland’s return to the World Cup created a huge sense of excitement around the national team, but it has also underlined the need to plan for the next generation.”

New Scotland manager Sébastien Pocognoli also attended the meeting, where clubs heard from sports intelligence leaders Twenty First Group and Belgian side Club Brugge.

They presented on the potential financial gains clubs can make through a player-trading model, with Scotland ranking considerably below comparable countries on that metric.

“Clubs across Europe are showing that giving younger players minutes does not have to come at the expense of success on the pitch, and we believe that these proposals, which we have presented today, could both strengthen Scottish clubs and have a positive effect on the national team in the future”, Mr Maxwell added.

“We are grateful to all the clubs who attended today and we will continue to engage with members to find a solution that works for the country.”

‘Holistic approach’

If approved, the new rules will come into force for the 2027/2028 season.

The proposals involving the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup and the Premier Sports Cup would be added to the rules of the respective competitions.

Craig Mulholland, Scottish FA chief football officer: “We’re at a point in Scottish football where we need to take a holistic approach to improvement.

“The time for reviews is over: it’s time for action to make sure that our young Scottish people get the best opportunity to go and become top professionals.

“We have already seen progress from the introduction of the Co-operation System and the revamp of the KDM Evolution Trophy, but we know that the lack of opportunities in the top flight is concerning.

“We would always love to do more, but we believe that introducing requirements for under-21 players in the Scottish Cup and League Cup and targets for minutes in the Premiership would represent a significant step for Scottish football.”