Young Sportswriter of the Year: Runner-up 4

We are delighted to say that we got over 30 entries from universities across Scotland for this competition. Thanks are due to News UK Scotland, the publishers of The Times and Sunday Times Scotland and The Scottish Sun, for their support and encouragement. It's always good to see aspiring young journalists coming through the ranks and there were five entries we deemed good enough to be published here on our website. We'll publish the four runners-up first, followed by the winner. Here's the fourth runner-up, Katie Gregory from Edinburgh Napier University....

Scottish Youth Football: A Pathway Under Threat

With the World Cup approaching this summer, excitement is building among the Tartan Army as Scotland prepares to set foot on American soil. The heroics at Hampden are still fresh in the memory, national pride is high and yet, back home, their absence in the domestic scene is impossible to miss.

In their match against Denmark, Scotland’s starting XI was dominated by players plying their trade abroad: Italy, Croatia, England. They vastly outnumbered those playing week in, week out in the Scottish Premiership. As they shine elsewhere and make the Ballon d’Or shortlists - it would be easy to forget that these players were made in Scotland.

Of the Scottish-born players in that squad, only Scott McTominay, Billy Gilmour and Grant Hanley began their professional journeys outside Scotland.The question now is whether they represent the last generation for whom that pathway will exist.

There are many reasons why Scotland’s most promising teenagers are increasingly heading south, but Brexit looms largest. When freedom of movement ended on 1st January, 2021, English clubs were suddenly barred from signing overseas players under 18. Almost overnight, Scotland became a more attractive market: close, accessible, and utterly unrestricted. For English academies, it was a ready-made pool of talent without the usual red tape.

Scottish clubs have tried to respond. Some moved quickly to secure their brightest prospects, offering “pre-professional” contracts to players as young as 14 - well before they are eligible to sign a professional deal at 16. It was a defensive move, born of necessity rather than strategy.

Agents often argue that minutes are the key to convincing players to stay. The numbers back them up. According to a recent CIES Football Observatory report, under-21 players account for just 12.8% of all available minutes in the Scottish Premiership. 

However - the grass, as many have learned, is not always greener. Too often, young Scots move to England only to stall - lost in oversized academies, stripped of identity, becoming another name on a squad list. A potential hero at home can quickly become anonymous elsewhere.

Which is why the focus should not be on what English clubs can offer - but on what Scottish football must provide. Clear pathways. Meaningful minutes. Trust. Commitment that works both ways.

There are signs of progress. Earlier this month, the SPFL’s 42 member clubs voted to permanently implement the Scottish FA’s Cooperation Agreement System following a successful trial. The Scottish FA’s Transition Report found that young players saw their playing time increase by almost 50% under the scheme, which allows 16–21-year-olds to move flexibly between a parent club and a cooperation club throughout the season.

It is a step toward fixing a broken bridge between promise and opportunity. These players deserve the chance to shine on familiar turf before the world comes calling. If the national team has taught us anything, it’s that Scotland can still produce footballers good enough for the biggest stages - but only if we give them the space, patience, and belief to grow here first.