Scotland's youth football system exploits young players, says watchdog
- The Scottish Football Association and SPFL are being investigated for restricting youth players' rights.
- Concerns include the fixed number of players clubs can recruit, high transfer fees, and restrictions on player movements.
- Advocacy groups argue these measures exploit young footballers and impair their ability to freely choose clubs.
In recent developments, concerns have been raised regarding the treatment of youth footballers in Scotland, prompting significant action from advocacy groups. The Scottish Children’s Commissioner, along with the campaigning organization RealGrassroots, has reported the Scottish Football Association (SFA) and the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over restrictions imposed on young players’ ability to move between club academies. These restrictions reportedly violate competition laws and exploit young athletes economically. The specific issues raised include set caps on the number of young players a club can recruit from another, rules allowing clubs to unilaterally extend a “registration period,” high fees for transferring players from one club's academy to another, and a ban on players and their families from contacting other clubs about potential moves. If the CMA investigates these complaints, it could lead to a reconsideration of these rules, which are said to disadvantage minors compared to adult professionals. The SFA has claimed to be making “significant progress” to protect youth players, stating that it has evolved its policies in line with FIFA guidelines. Despite these claims, former youth players, like Kieran Gibbons, argue that the existing regulations severely limit a young player’s freedom to choose the best environment for their development. He shared personal experiences of being locked into a youth contract with no room to explore better opportunities, which illustrates the predicament many youths face due to current policies. As this issue gains traction, it highlights long-standing grievances about the system governing youth transfers in Scottish football, which has been under scrutiny for over a decade. A petition was initially presented to the Scottish Parliament in 2010, pointing to the history of these concerns. The dialogue around these reforms is critical, as they aim to provide better rights protections for young players, ensuring their welfare and ability to make choices in their football careers.