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Date: 31st December 2024
By Steve McGregor who has been involved in Grassroots football for 25 years and a SFSA member for nearly 10 years
In the youth football arena, 2024 has, in some ways, been unlike any other.
The campaign group Realgrassroots, which launched a Public Petition entitled ‘Improving Youth Football’ in 2010, has now submitted a complaint to the UK Government’s Competition and Marketing Agency (CMA) against the Scottish FA and Scottish Professional Football League. Backed by industry-leading lawyers at GunnerCooke in London, the complaint asks for the CMA to investigate the legality of young players being effectively sold between clubs, in what the governing bodies refer to as Training Compensation. The complaint also raises questions about freedom of movement for young players and rules designed as ‘no-poach,’ which prevents players from moving freely. It also raises concerns over the club’s ability to unilaterally extend registrations for young players from the 15’s age group for seasons.
The 62-page complaint results from the Scottish FA and SPFL’s failure to fully address the recommendations from the Scottish Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee. Realgrassroots have been relentlessly calling for a fairer system for young players and, over the past 14 years, secured widespread political support, including three consecutive Commissioners for Children and Young People in Scotland. The complaint has the unusual distinction of being fully supported by the current Commissioner who has also written to the CMA to express their concerns relating to the power imbalance between the clubs and the young players. If the complaint is successful, the governance of youth in professional clubs will be forced to change. One of the founders of Realgrassroots, Willie Smith said ‘The Scottish FA and SPFL, including their member clubs have been a law unto themselves, but they are not above the law. They have refused to fully address the appalling rules that allow clubs to trap young players and lock them into registrations. The Scottish Government has been unable to fully resolve the issues despite on several occasions considering introducing legislation.’
The Realgrassroots Facebook is a tremendous source of information and can be visited here – www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069244728987
Meanwhile, the turbulence across the game continues as the Scottish Youth FA is working hard to settle following the hurricane of change, which brought about the abrupt resignations of two chairmen. In June 2024, the retiring chairman of the largest footballing organisation in Scotland, made way for his vice-chair to take centre stage. However, weeks into the role he was confronted at a Hampden meeting with angry league officials and an unsettled Board. Within 48 hours, he had resigned. Called from the subs bench, the second vice-chair to the helm to lead the organisation but his tenure was just as short and within weeks, he also resigned. Two other board members took the opportunity to step down, leaving a board of six volunteers who had been introduced five months previously to take over. This perhaps gives an insight into the precarious nature of our game’s youth governing body. It is incredible to think that a country such as Scotland that prides itself on giving birth to the beautiful game, where football is crucial to our national identity and history, that our youth organisation is left so unloved by the Scottish FA, Government and Sportscotland. After all the SYFA is responsible for providing football for 80,000 children and young people and for overseeing some 23,000 volunteers. It has 10 employees, not all of whom are full-time and is losing money every year, with no financial backing from the Government, nor Sportscotland and only a fraction of SFA coffers.
The shambles of the introduction of Comet added unwanted strain to a small organisation with big responsibilities. The new Scottish FA registration system was launched in June 2024 with next to no training provided and a string of high-profile failures across all levels of the game.
Closer to the coalface, the youth game in Scotland is seeing an unprecedented rise in unacceptable behaviour. Players, coaches, and parents are all guilty of dragging our beloved game into disrepute, with violence and abuse a regular occurrence. Referees are being exposed to levels of abuse that lead many to leave the game, some are assaulted and Police Scotland are becoming involved in too many match and post-match incidents. All this in kids’ football. But perhaps the behaviour of adults connected to our professional clubs should shoulder a small proportion of the blame. Images of fans running wild in major city streets and illegal flares being lit and thrown sends the wrong message to our younger generation that in football – you can do what you want!
Posted in: Latest News
Tags: grassroots, SFA, SYFA