Scottish football’s biggest names have issued a dire warning that our stars of the future are being priced out of the game.
They claim grassroots football is under threat because of the soaring cost of living as ex-players and clubs reveal how parents cannot afford to pay team subscriptions because of rocketing food and fuel bills.
Gordon Strachan said it was time the Government stepped in as Andy McLaren, Jim Jefferies and Alan Rough warned that crippling monthly fees and rising pitch costs were turning it into a middle-class sport.
Former Scotland and Celtic boss Strachan said: “That real working-class element has been diluted in the last 50 years, there is no doubt about that.
"One thing is certain – whatever governments invest in football, they will get it back in the future.”
Scotland international McLaren said: “Amateur teams that have been going for 30 or 40 years are closing down because they cannot afford to remain open.”
McLaren, 48, set up a football charity to divert young people away from involvement in gan
A shock report last week revealed how a third of parents surveyed said rising prices of essentials are leaving them unable afford boots, strips and even shin pads for their children to play the game.
Twenty-three per cent were unable to pay the monthly subscriptions to their child’s local football team.
A fifth said they were only able to pay for their son or daughter to play football because they had made other sacrifices.
gs and violence.
The former Dundee United and Kilmarnock player said: “If you are struggling to feed your family or heat your house, you do not have the disposable income to allow your kids to play football.
“It can cost £10 to £15 a week for a child to play football, which many parents can’t afford, and the prices are going up all the time.
“You also have the mental health issues of children not being able to get out in the fresh air and play football with their pals.
“Imagine if you are a parent and your kids want to play football and telling them you can’t afford it?
“Our best young footballers in the past always came from housing estates like Castlemilk, where I was brought up. They have always had the hunger and determination to be football players. But that is being lost.
“In my day we played all the time for free and that was how we improved our skills and became better players.
“We could be missing the next Kenny Dalglish because parents can’t afford a tenner a week for their subscriptions.”
McLaren said the biggest issue is the price of pitch hire, which can cost up to £150 a time.
Former Scotland goalkeeper Rough, 70, who played 53 times for his country and starred for Partick Thistle, Hibs and Celtic, said: “You have all these wonderful big football centres now with astroturf pitches.
"But you are asking kids to pay for something that they or their families can’t afford.
“In my day you had football for nothing. Now parents have to set up direct debits to pay for their subs and pitch hire.
“You are losing the great players who traditionally came from deprived areas. In the long run Scottish football is
going to suffer.”
Former Hearts and Kilmarnock manager Jefferies and his assistant Billy Brown said children are being priced out of football. They said council pitches should be free of charge to players up to the age of 16.
Jefferies said: “Councils should make the pitches available, particularly when families cannot afford to eat and are going to food banks.
“Anything which takes away that expense and allows people to use their money for essential things should be welcomed.”
Brown added: “The price of football boots is absolutely extortionate for kids but parents don’t have any option because the kids want the best boots.
“The way things are going, they aren’t going to be able to afford that sort of thing in the future.”
Strachan said: “I think football can do a bit more for these kids and their families.”
The Price to Play Report, commissioned by energy firm Utilita, surveyed parents across the UK last month.
It was no surprise to Andy Burns, who runs West Park United Football Club in Bishopbriggs, which takes boys and girls from some of the most deprived areas of Glasgow.
He said 70 per cent of their cash is spent on hiring pitches.
Burns, who is club secretary and treasurer, said: “We see a lot of single parents asking for financial support. But it’s not sustainable to cover the costs for more than a few families at a time. These kids love football – it keeps them focused, out of trouble and, most importantly, physically fit. There is evidence proving the benefits of playing football for young people.
“So why the Government is willing to let kids drop out and clubs go to the wall is just beyond me.”
Labour MP Ian Murray said: “Football authorities need to come together to make it easier for kids to play. One club in my area, Edinburgh South, provides activities and kit for up to 800 children.
"They do this by providing an honesty box where parents put in what they can afford. But they don’t get any wider support.”
Former first minister Henry McLeish carried out a major investigation into the state of football in Scotland in 2010, commissioned by the SFA.
He is gravely concerned at the number of pitches which have disappeared over the years to make way for big housing developments.
McLeish said: “We cannot have a two-tier system where football is only for those who can afford it. Football is our national sport and should be for all, regardless of their social circumstances and ability to pay.”
McLeish said he would also like to see pitches made free for young players.
Conservative shadow minister for sport Sue Webber said: “Like many others, I find it deeply saddening that young people from poorer backgrounds could essentially be priced out of playing the sport they love.
"Playing football greatly boosts the physical and mental health of young people, as well as being a great way to make friends and cultivate a sense of self-discipline.
“The UK Government is investing in grassroots sport, including 18 football facilities across Scotland.”
Sports Minister Maree Todd said: “The cost-of-living crisis is taking its toll and the ability to pay for or access good facilities should not be a barrier to participation in sport.
"This is why we are doubling investment in sport and active living to £100million a year by the end of the Parliament to ensure we address inequalities in access to physical activity and sport.”
The Scottish Football Association said it was working hard to get more young people involved in football.
Chief executive Ian Maxwell said: “Grassroots football is the lifeblood of Scottish football and our partnership with McDonald’s for the past 20 years has helped with our objective of growing the national game.”
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