‘A lot of players pursue the dream of becoming a full-time footballer and really put all their eggs in one basket,” says Adam Cairnie, Head of Football Development and Pathway at Caledonian Braves. “And the issue we brought up was, ‘what happens when that doesn’t work out’?”
The answer the Lowland League side came up with was a performance pathway for players aged between 16 and 20. A one-year safety net for kids who dropped out of full-time academy football or played grassroots football at a high level, offering daily training, under-20s competitive games, performance support and education supported by the Johan Cruyff Institute.
