EXCLUSIVE: Alan Hutton Speaks On The State Of Scottish Football And The Need For More Youth Opportunities.

EXCLUSIVE: Alan Hutton Speaks On The State Of Scottish Football And The Need For More Youth Opportunities.

Last week, we had the chance to speak to Scotland legend Alan Hutton on behalf of NetBet Casino about chat about the state of Scottish football as well as the new incentives that the SFA are putting in place to incentivise clubs playing young Scottish players. Here’s what he had to say to Aaron Chaudry!

Aaron: What areas do you think could do with improvement in Scottish football?

Alan: “The biggest one for me is the youth side. I think it needs to be better in terms of keeping hold of our young prospects moving forward. There needs to be a route that everyone can see [into the first team]. It’s not easy, we lose a lot of our talented players down south early on. For me that’s one of the main issues at this moment in time and trying to fix it and correct it.”

Since Brexit in 2020, there has been a rapid increase in Scottish youngsters being poached at a young age, due to English academies now not being able to sign youngsters from abroad until the age of 18, whereas Scottish players are able to make the move at just 16. Between 2012-2020, just 35 teenagers moved from Scotland to English clubs. Since 2020, there has been over 80, with that trend only increasing rapidly.

Argentina have recently implemented a rule that requires Argentinians that start their development in Argentina to sign their first professional contract with a domestic club before moving abroad. Anyone who does not follow this rule will not be eligible for selection to the National Team. A variation of this being implemented could better incentivise young players to stay in Scotland for longer and gain valuable first team experience.

Aaron: Do you think the new SFA incentives announced will help the overall chance of youth progression?

Alan: “I hope so! I would love to see all clubs achieving the minutes per season. When I was younger, I always used to remember that you had to have three under-21 players on the bench. The only problem with that when I was coming through was you kind of knew you were never going to play. You were there just to meet the quota, I think it has to be more than that.

Of course, the players have to be good enough first and foremost to get into the first teams. The loan agreements that are out there definitely helps push players forwards and gives them that playing time, but I just feel that right now in terms of football across the board that there is so much pressure to win games that it can be difficult to get these guys in but I understand that we need to. It’s only going to help benefit long-term Scottish football and the clubs in general.”

Earlier this month the SFA announced two different quota incentives in an attempt to increase minutes and opportunities for young Scottish talent. The first quota, in cup competitions, would require at least two Scotland U21 eligible players start the match, with one remaining on the pitch at all times. The second, in the league, proposes that 6% of all available minutes would go to Scotland U21 eligible players, boiling down to an average of 60 minutes per game. These quotas are set to be implemented at the start of the 2027/28 season subject to approval from SPFL clubs.

A different method of increasing youth minutes that is already in place is the co-operation agreement, which was introduced at the start of the 2025/26 season. It allows clubs to “loan” a player to a lower division club but allow for them to train with both teams and play for the parent club at any time within the season without a recall being required. Since its implementation, the SFA have reported that playing opportunities for young domestic talents has risen by nearly 50%, with the largest spikes in League Two and KDM Evolution Trophy.