SFA scheme delivers significant boost to playing time for potential Scotland internationals

Young Scottish footballers have seen their first-team playing opportunities rise by almost 50% since the introduction of a Scottish FA scheme designed to help potential internationals transition into the professional game.

The governing body launched their new ‘Cooperation System’ in the summer, allowing clubs flexibility in how to get their young players into competitive senior football, while the SPFL revamped their KDM Evolution Trophy to include Premiership B teams in a league format.

The moves were based on similar schemes in other similarly-sized European nations and were designed to address concerns over how a lack of senior football was damaging the development of young talent in Scotland.

Under the new system, players aged between 16 and 21, who are eligible for Scotland national teams, can join a lower-league club on loan but move back and forth between their parent club and the cooperation club to increase their game time.

Figures released by the Scottish FA have shown that the total number of minutes played by Scottish Under-21 players has increased by 71,395 minutes, with increases across the William Hill Championship, League One and League Two, Highland League, Lowland League, Premier Sports Cup and the KDM Evolution Trophy. The increase represents a 46% rise from the 2023/24 season.

The number of minutes played by young players in League One has risen sharply, up by by 70.6% from two seasons ago, while the league that has seen the biggest jump has been the Highland League, with minutes played going from 22,046 to 47,160 – an increase of 113.9%.

The KDM Evolution Trophy has seen minutes increased by 153.9%, owing partly to the revamped format.

Under the Cooperation System, clubs in the Premiership and Championship are allowed to enter partnerships with up to three clubs from the leagues below them, and 14 top sides have already utilised the new agreements.

Hibernian goalkeeper Freddie Owens had the highest number of minutes from players on a Cooperation Agreement during the first part of the season, playing 1170 minutes prior to the end of October for East Kilbride.

Celtic midfielder Kyle Ure has been a virtual ever-present for Scott Brown’s Ayr United, playing 851 minutes before October 29th, with his recent oppurtunities curtailed by injury.

Motherwell’s Olly Whyte played 741 minutes up to the end of October while at Stenhousemuir, while Kilmarnock’s Euan Bowie played 825 minutes for Albion Rovers in that period and Ayr United’s Jamie Hislop got on the field for 897 minutes at East Stirlingshire.

The Scottish FA also reported on changes to youth-level football, where a new hybrid Under-19 category was introduced with overage players allowed to participate. Over 170 overage players have already played in the league, giving developing talent a chance to face senior players in a competitive environment.

Andrew Gould, chief football officer at the Scottish FA welcomed the figures and how the scheme has been received but said it was just a first step with more to be done.

“Though we are still in the early stages of witnessing the changes that were introduced ahead of the 2025/2026 season, I am encouraged to see encouraging increases with regards to the opportunities our young players are getting,” he said.

“We made it clear in last year’s report that, as a nation, we are lagging behind several other countries when it comes to chances for players in the key transition phase, and while there is still a lot of work for us to do, the buy-in from clubs at this stage has been extremely positive.

“As well as the impact of the Cooperation Agreement, which is giving clubs a significant amount of flexibility, we are seeing increased numbers across the board, which can only be a positive for Scottish football.

“We know that there is still significant work to do, however, and we will continue to work with the clubs as we all strive to promote positive opportunities for young players at this key point in their development.”

Scottish FA head of men’s elite strategy Chris Docherty, who co-authored the original report with Gould, said: “We have seen several clubs take advantage of the Cooperation System, and there are still others that we hope may utilise this more in future.

“But whether it’s Cooperation Loans, traditional Loans, utilising the cup competitions or simply an increased focus on playing youngsters in first teams as part of overall club strategies, we need to see these players given more chances.

“It’s a hugely exciting time for the national game, with the recent qualification for the FIFA World Cup, but it’s imperative that we don’t stand still.

“Through innovations such as the Cooperation System, and continued research like our recent-published Review of Youth Development, it’s vital that we keep striving to ensure that we are a nation that maximises our resource to deliver the best possible results for our young players.”

Neil Doncaster, SPFL group chief executive, added: “It’s hugely encouraging to see young Scottish players’ minutes increase by nearly 50% so far this season, and it’s a clear reflection of the tangible impact of our revamped KDM Evolution Trophy and the Cooperation System.

“The feedback we’ve received from our member clubs on both the Cooperation System, and the new KDM Evolution Trophy format has been overwhelmingly positive to date.

“It’s great to see these changes are giving emerging talent more exposure to senior football, which can only help their development and be good news for the wider Scottish game.”