SFA to close performance schools in youth football review

The Scottish FA is closing its performance schools following a youth development review.

The system, which has been in operation since 2012, sees young players receive elite training alongside their normal schooling and has kickstarted the careers of Napoli midfielder Billy Gilmour, Everton defender Nathan Patterson and Crystal Palace's Emma Watson.

However, it is understood the decision to close the schools has partly been taken due to a lack of talent coming through the ranks.

In a letter to the parents of 248 S1 to S4 boys and girls at seven schools across the scheme, the SFA said the decision had been made "based on a range of factors".

The governing body said the full programme, which costs about £500,000 a year, would continue for pupils already involved in the system, but there would be no future player intakes.

It added that it was "keen to avoid duplication" with five SPFL clubs - Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Dundee and Dundee United - who run their own performance schools.

The letter, from chief football officer Andrew Gould, said: "The association is pleased to have seen the programme succeed such that clubs would consider their own performance schools as part of their commitment to academy players.

"We are heartened that five such schools are now in existence, and we believe now is the time to focus the association's efforts on complementing club models rather than risk duplication or dilution of provision in future years at the same time as increasing our focus in a number of other key areas related to player development identified within the review."

The seven schools making up the programme were Hazelhead Academy in Aberdeen, St John's RC in Dundee, Broughton High in Edinburgh, Graeme High School in Falkirk, Holyrood Secondary School in Glasgow, Grange Academy in Kilmarnock and Braidhurst High in Motherwell.

Gilmour, Patterson and Liverpool's Calvin Ramsay were the only three full men's internationals to come through the performance school system prior to Scotland's appearance at Euro 2024.

That cohort has since been boosted by Rangers' Connor Barron, Max Johnston, now of Derby County, and the West Ham midfielder, Andy Irving.

More than 40 graduates of the schools have made it into the Scotland Under-21 set-up.

'Million-dollar question'

In September, SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell told the Scottish Parliament's sport and wellbeing committee the nation's top clubs needed to be more strategic in developing native talent.

It followed a 2024 report, which showed that Scotland trails countries such as Denmark, Norway and Croatia in giving top-flight game time to players under the age of 21.

He acknowledged that there were not enough young Scottish players receiving regular game time in the Scottish Premiership.

He told the committee: "We've got a youth review that will be published soon that will talk about a lot of this and it'll talk about changes we feel we need to make.

"How we do that is the million-dollar question, but clubs need to be more strategic."

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