EDITION 1 - FEBRUARY 2007

Comment : Collins calls for football academies

Coach's suggestion could change the face of football

John Collins has done many great things for Scottish football, both as a player, and now as a manager with Hibs.  But his call for French style subsidised football academies, if heeded, could be one of the most important upwards bounds ever taken in Scottish sport.

The system in France doesn’t only coach athletic excellence in young players; it also provides full time schooling.  “They have to get the exam results, and if they don’t get them then they don’t get to training.  So kids are leaving the academy at 18, educated and talented footballers” Collins told Scotland on Sunday.  

This is a very utopian theory, but the imposing brick wall that stands in the way of this football finishing school is owned by the Scottish Executive and the local councils - and it costs a lot of money to knock it down.  That isn’t to say national and local governments wouldn’t be willing to embrace such a concept, but the costs would be a significant stuttering point.

Many would say that if clubs can afford lush new training facilities, under-soil heating and expensive foreign signings, then surely those clubs must also invest in the development of young players - not only as footballers, but as people.

Graham Watson, Executive Director of Winning Scotland Foundation, who seek to implement a cultural change in Scotland through sport, says: ‘We are very interested in the long term benefits which can be gained in Scotland from aligning sporting excellence with academic excellence. There are some excellent initiatives being discussed around Scotland just now and The Foundation hopes to be at the centre of this debate in the months ahead. Indeed, we have recently commissioned the University of Stirling to look at the effectiveness of various approaches currently being adopted around the world to combine high performance sport with education. Once this report is completed later this year, we hope to engage in a productive dialogue with the sporting and education sectors to develop the most appropriate response to the challenges and opportunities from a Scottish perspective.’

Collins referenced the difficulties that Paul Le Guen found between his Glasgow Rangers experience and what he had been used to at Lyons as an example of how different the structures in France must be.  “Sometimes the hardest thing is to implement change.  Some people are scared of change” he stated.

This is a concept that should not be left by the wayside after a few weeks of well intentioned but unproductive negotiation.  Between Scotland’s governmental offices, our football clubs and our sporting organisations, change really should be a priority.  And perhaps then we will see our nation’s footballers doing us proud just as often off the pitch as we aspire for them to do on it.


RO

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