SFA reveal 3 key proposals to improve under-21 game-time - with incentives on offer

The Scottish Football Association has proposed a series of changes to increase the number of minutes for Scottish players under the age of 21.

All 42 senior clubs attended a Made In Scotland? conference in St Andrews aimed at altering the landscape of Scottish football and allowing academy graduates to get more opportunities. The clubs were told by consultancy firm Twenty First Group that they are lagging behind their European counterparts and leaving £40 million of revenue per year on the table.

Desperate to improve the situation, with Scotland only ahead of Turkey in Europe for playing under-21 players this season, the SFA have put forward a package which they believe can make a difference and safeguard the future of the Scottish football.

Scottish clubs listen to SFA proposals during the Made in Scotland? conference in St Andrews. | SNS Group / SFA

Their plan is for a minimum of two Scottish under-21 players to be selected by each team in a Scottish Cup tie and for two Scottish under-21 players to be picked by each team in the Premier Sports Cup, starting from the 2027/28 campaign.

From next season as well, the SFA want under-21 players to be on the pitch for an average of 60 minutes per game, across the season, in the Premiership, equating to six per cent of available minutes. This would span across the league campaign and clubs would manage how they do this.

To incentivise this, the SFA are putting in £1 million into the project and a fee will be paid for each eligible under-21 player who plays 60 minutes or more in a league match across all four senior divisions - £250 in the Premiership, £200 in the Championship, £150 in League One and £100 in League Two.

The SFA hopes that the Scottish Professional Football League will agree to a forfeit of 10 per cent prize money from a club that doesn’t comply, to be distributed among those that do.

The clubs have now entered a consultation period until the end of September, before the SFA call a general meeting next month for the Scottish Cup vote to take place. The SPFL annual general meeting is held in November, where the Premier Sports Cup and Premiership changes will be voted upon.

SFA chiefs deemed the conference to be a success and believe their proposals were met with enthusiasm from the floor. They will now meet individually with each club this month ahead of the general meeting.