SFA to offer financial incentives for youth participation

The Scottish FA is to offer financial incentives for clubs to play more young Scottish footballers.The proposal is part of the governing body's plan to reshape youth development and increase the number of homegrown players.All 42 SPFL clubs gathered in St Andrews on Friday to discuss ways of improving the game and finding the next generation of international players.As well as financial incentives, clubs also heard plans for home-grown player quotas for the Scottish Cup and Premier Sports Cup tournaments.The clubs' requirement would be to field a certain number of Scottish players under the age of 21.There were also discussions about how similar quotas could be introduced and incentivised for league matches.The proposals come as figures show a dramatic dip in Scottish-born players being fielded by top-flight clubs in Scotland and suggestions of a fear by managers and owners to take a chance on academy players.Statistics also reflect a huge increase in young players being tempted south to club academies in England, prompting concerns they could be lost in a vast youth system rather than breaking into first teams north of the border.Club owners watched a presentation by football analytics company Twenty First Group, who outlined data showing the financial incentives of fielding and developing academy players.Twenty First Group say that, compared to comparable nations, Scottish clubs are collectively missing out on £40m annually by not playing younger players and selling them on.Club Brugge recruitment director Guilian Preud'homme also delivered a presentation about the success enjoyed by the Belgian champions after they shifted their focus from overseas recruitment to homegrown talent.