Motherwell FC has been accepted into the elite level of the Scottish FA’s new youth development programme Project Brave.
The governing body has announced the confirmation of club placings in the new academy structure, which they state is designed to improve the overall standard of young Scottish footballers.
Motherwell will be joined at elite level by Aberdeen, Celtic, Hamilton Academical, Hearts, Hibernian, Kilmarnock and Rangers. Games under the new structure, which is for age groups up to under 18s, will begin from the start of the 2018/19 season.
Clubs have been split into three categories: elite, progressive and performance. The ‘progressive’ category will include clubs with aspirations to play at elite level who do not currently meet the criteria.
Motherwell will face their fellow ‘elite’ clubs three times across the course of a season and will also play one game against each ‘progressive’ academy. The club will continue to receive a fixed block grant from the Scottish FA each year for operating an ‘elite’ academy.
Motherwell’s Chief Operating Officer Alan Burrows said: “We are obviously delighted to be awarded elite status, particularly as the staff at the club have put in a significant amount work over the last six months to ensure we achieved our goal.
“Motherwell is a club which has a reputation throughout its existence for producing and developing young players who later become future internationals. You think of Gary McAllister and Phil O’Donnell. You think of Lee McCulloch and Steven Hammell. James McFadden and Stephen Pearson. And that’s just the recent ones.
“Now, as the only fully fan-owned club in the Scottish Premiership, and in Project Brave, having that pathway which culminates in effective player trading is a cornerstone of our strategy and model.
“So despite our fairly public reservations, we had no other option or choice but to strive to be at the elite level, alongside the seven other clubs named today. What it means for us in real terms is a significant financial outlay in terms of the staff and infrastructure at the academy, but that’s part of our commitment to youth football and the production of good young players.
“It’s our job as a club to ensure we can meet those obligations whilst still trying to be competitive as a club, both on and off the park.
“We currently have academy talent representing every single youth side Scotland has from schoolboys to under 21s. We have rivals from both sides of the border circling our club constantly looking to try and entice our young players and, most importantly, we have academy graduates who have stepped up and play regularly in our first team, proving their worth.
“Those are all positive performance indicators. We will have dedicated recruitment, analysis and sports science arms that will make what we offer as good as any other academy in Scotland.”
Scottish FA performance director Malky Mackay said: “This is a significant milestone for Project Brave. Club Academy Scotland is a fundamental part of the process and a lot of work has gone into developing the criteria used to assess the clubs.
“From day one this has been a collaborative activity. The clubs have been engaged at every step, with daily dialogue to help with their applications. We have been heartened and inspired by so many of the positive things we have seen in regards to the development of young Scottish footballers and our aim is to assist clubs and encourage them to hit the highest possible standards.”
