IN the 11 years since the SFA published Scotland United: A 2020 Vision, there have been some tangible and welcome signs that progress is being made in youth development in this country at long last.
The creation of seven regional performance schools, which allow elite young players to take part in three hours of training on a daily basis from the age of 12 under the watchful eye of full-time coaches, certainly appears to have borne fruit in recent seasons.
Billy Gilmour, Nathan Patterson and Calvin Ramsay, full Scotland internationalists who ply their trade at Premier League clubs down in England, are all alumni.
Many more who have come through the system, the likes of Marc Leonard, Liam Morrison, Kerr Smith and Rory Wilson, appear destined to follow in their footsteps.
Mark Wotte - the Dutch coach who was responsible for implementing the strategic plan during his time as the first SFA performance director - has been heartened to see the emergence of so many gifted footballers in the last few seasons.
However, Wotte knows that it is important to now build on the significant strides forward which have been made and understands the dangers of becoming complacent.
He believes that integrating B teams into the senior leagues - something that many other major footballing nations across Europe did many years ago - is also crucial for the future prosperity of the game in Scotland.
Celtic, Hearts and Rangers have played second string sides against opponents such as Berwick Rangers, Caledonian Braves, East Kilbride, Gala Fairydean Rovers and Spartans in the Lowland League in the past two seasons.
However, a motion to form a new fifth tier Conference League met with widespread outrage and opposition at all levels of the pyramid structure and was withdrawn before the SFA AGM last month when it became obvious that it would not receive the support needed.
SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell has stressed the initiative – which would have seen four B sides competing in a 10 team division that would have been slotted in above the Lowland and Highland Leagues – has not been abandoned entirely.
He has emphasised that senior officials at the governing body will attempt to address the concerns which exist in boardrooms, dugouts and the stands and try to come up with an alternative which will receive the necessary backing in the months ahead.
Wotte, a former Netherlands Under-19 and Under-21 coach who is currently in charge of the Syria Under-23 team, feels it is vital they do so.
He has witnessed how progressive countries like Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Ukraine have all flourished at international level in the modern era after giving the outstanding prospects who are emerging at their club academies competitive game time in the lower leagues before they are ready to feature in their first teams.
Advocates of having B teams in the pyramid in this country remain convinced it will increase the number of youngsters who make the often problematic transition from the youth ranks into the professional game – an area where Scotland has struggled badly since 2000 – greatly in the future.
Celtic, Hearts and Rangers youth coaches are adamant it is preferable to sending gifted kids out on loan because they are able to monitor their progress closely and deploy them in a system that is the same as or similar to that which is favoured by the first team manager.
Barcelona have certainly enjoyed great success doing so over the years; Sergio Busquets, Pep Guardiola, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Pedro, Victor Valdes and Xavi Fernandez all featured for the B team at the Nou Camp.
They all went on to represent the Catalan giants with distinction at home and abroad.
Wotte can appreciate why. He was surprised and disappointed when he learned the move to create a Conference League had failed and is hopeful the problems can be ironed out. He knows that being exposed to higher level of competitive football has myriad physical and psychological benefits for youngsters.
“Many football countries introduced the so-called B teams into senior league football decades ago,” he said. “The advantages for the young, talented players are obvious. It’s often the missing link in player pathway into the first team.
“Playing senior league games for youngsters from the age of 17 and 18 is a massive accelerator of their development. It helps them technically and physically because obviously they encounter more resistance.
“But it also helps them mentally because they are playing in front of an audience of fans and are also being judged by the media. I can’t believe that some people in Scotland don’t recognise that and have blocked this proposal.”
Wotte encountered scepticism, resistance and even downright hostility during his spell as SFA performance director – but he has been pleased the see the wide-ranging changes which he pushed through during the three-and-a-half years that he spent in this country have a real impact since departing.
He suspects it is no coincidence that Scotland are faring so well – they are on top of their Euro 2024 qualifying group at the halfway stage after recording Group A wins over Cyprus, Spain, Norway and Georgia – at the moment.
The former Feyenoord player and Utrecht and Southampton manager is convinced that increasing the involvement of B teams in the senior leagues will enable more talented youngsters to establish themselves at major clubs in the years to come.
“I believe the performance schools project has proven its value,” he said. “It’s no surprise. Adding 800 quality training sessions over four years in the 12 to 16 age group gives a much better all-round base for future professional and international players for Scotland.
“I believe more young Scottish players are playing in first team both in the Premiership and the Championship as well as on English and European soil. Together with the great work of Steve Clarke, the future is brighter than 10 years ago when we started the performance strategy.
“Incorporating B teams into the senior leagues would complement the work which has been done to date and help more young players to make the step up into the first team.”
