Summary
Support provided to the Scottish Football Association to develop a new plan for youth football in Scotland.
Approach
We conducted extensive desk based and face to face consultation with the key partners in delivery of youth football in Scotland. This included meeting with The Scottish Premier League, Football League, youth football movement and a range of local leagues that have a role to play in developing the sport. We held a large facilitated session at Hampden Park with over 40 Local Authorities and over 100 people from clubs and organisations. We paid attention to those in the position of Director of Youth Football within the Premier league clubs. This led to us developing a five-year plan for the development of youth football with the integration of many of the organisations delivering youth football in Scotland. We proposed changes in governance, club development and league structures and observed the success of the current coaching structure.
Outcome
A more efficient structure and pathway for young players in Scotland was identified with a focus on skill development rather than winning. The work also led to a great collaboration between all organisations striving to develop youth football in Scotland.