Talent shortage in Scottish football: Exodus investigated

There is no denying that the number of Scots leaving clubs in their home country at a young age is on the rise.

This summer alone, the much-loved Calvin Ramsay, Rory Wilson and Charlie McArthur all left Scottish Premiership clubs to pursue their careers south of the border with Lewis Ferguson and Josh Doig moving to Italy. The trend is unequivocally upward, which prompted me to investigate further. So today we'll look at what attracts young people to and keeps them away from Scotland while looking at the positive and negative effects their departures have had on the country.

Art by Tushar Dey
In addition, we'll take a closer look at some specific examples, such as what precedes, agreements that have and have not worked while also focusing on the methods that have been used by other nations to promote and foster youth football.

Let's start by looking at what keeps Scotland's best young footballers away from their home country.

The chance to move on to a much more distinguished club, most likely earning a higher salary, training at world-class facilities with top talent, and being coached by some of the best coaches in the business are all very hard to resist temptations for players of such a young age. I'm 17 and I know for a fact that if I was playing for the Celtic academy, per se, and a team like Bayern Munich called me that much I love the team that rises in green and white hoops, it would be hard not to move to Bavaria.

This is a hypothetical situation, but movements similar to this have happened in real life. However, did they actually work? Let's take a closer look.
Scottish teenagers move abroad
Yes, it's still early days, but Nathan Patterson hasn't set the fastest time at Everton so far. Injuries haven't helped the Scotland international, although just 45 minutes of competitive first-team action in six months is cause for concern. Kerr Smith is another Scottish youngster who has recently chosen to move south. He agreed to join the Aston Villa academy at the age of 17, but...

Sports Aug 12, 2022 0 91 Add to Reading List

Talent shortage in Scottish football: Exodus investigated

There is no denying that the number of Scots leaving clubs in their home country at a young age is on the rise.

This summer alone, the much-loved Calvin Ramsay, Rory Wilson and Charlie McArthur all left Scottish Premiership clubs to pursue their careers south of the border with Lewis Ferguson and Josh Doig moving to Italy. The trend is unequivocally upward, which prompted me to investigate further. So today we'll look at what attracts young people to and keeps them away from Scotland while looking at the positive and negative effects their departures have had on the country.

Scotland Youth Football Transfers Finance Premier League Serie A Bundesliga Football Paradise

In addition, we'll take a closer look at some specific examples, such as what precedes, agreements that have and have not worked while also focusing on the methods that have been used by other nations to promote and foster youth football.

Let's start by looking at what keeps Scotland's best young footballers away from their home country.

The chance to move on to a much more distinguished club, most likely earning a higher salary, training at world-class facilities with top talent, and being coached by some of the best coaches in the business are all very hard to resist temptations for players of such a young age. I'm 17 and I know for a fact that if I was playing for the Celtic academy, per se, and a team like Bayern Munich called me that much I love the team that rises in green and white hoops, it would be hard not to move to Bavaria.

This is a hypothetical situation, but movements similar to this have happened in real life. However, did they actually work? Let's take a closer look.

Scottish teenagers move abroad

Yes, it's still early days, but Nathan Patterson hasn't set the fastest time at Everton so far. Injuries haven't helped the Scotland international, although just 45 minutes of competitive first-team action in six months is cause for concern. Kerr Smith is another Scottish youngster who has recently chosen to move south. He agreed to join the Aston Villa academy at the age of 17, but...