Hamilton manager John Rankin is in favor of the SFA’s plans to create “cooperation clubs” in Scottish football. He believes that expanding the Championship to 16 teams could be a positive move that allows more promising youngsters to transition successfully into the senior game.
A working party is currently assessing key recommendations from the Transition Phase paper published by the governing body in May. The goal is to implement a system that has proven successful in other countries, where youth players have been able to break into the first team at top-flight clubs.
The proposed system would allow Premiership and Championship clubs to form agreements with lower-tier clubs. This would enable between three to five eligible players to move freely between clubs outside of transfer windows. The aim is to provide these young talents with valuable game time to aid in their development.
John Rankin acknowledges the potential benefits of this scheme for Scotland’s young talents. However, he points out the challenges faced by managers in the current setup of 12 teams in the Premiership and 10 teams in the Championship, League 1, and League 2. With such a competitive environment, taking chances on young players becomes difficult.
Rankin suggests that expanding the Championship to 16 teams could create more opportunities for youngsters to showcase their skills. While this may reduce some of the competitiveness of the league, it could also allow clubs to introduce more young players without the fear of negative consequences.
As a former youth coach at Hearts, Rankin emphasizes the importance of quality over quantity in youth academies. He believes that having fewer players in each age group could result in a higher standard of talent making the transition to the first team successfully.
Overall, Rankin supports the idea of fostering youth development in Scottish football. While there are challenges to overcome, he sees the potential for positive change that could benefit both young players and clubs in the long run. By creating more opportunities for youth players to gain valuable experience, Scottish football could see an improvement in the quality of talent coming through the ranks.
