St Mirren Academy director Allan McManus says it’s high time the club’s talented youngsters are allowed to fully return to action.
More than 100 young Buddies in the renowned Paisley youth set-up, from under-20’s to under-10’s, are waiting for the green light to return to full contact training and matches.
Having been locked out of their Ralston training base for months, McManus insists it’s vital the prospects are allowed to return and continue their development properly.
He pointed to a recent study which discovered not a single case of on-the-field transmission of coronavirus had been confirmed in football or rugby during a full year of the pandemic.
With children understood to be less likely to suffer severe complications of the virus and the vaccine rollout well under way, McManus is desperate for some information as to why the academy cannot return to business as usual.
He told Express Sport: “The biggest issue for me is the absolute silence and lack of reasoning behind the whole shutdown.
“There is more and more data, especially around kids playing outdoors, that suggest the risk of transmission is very, very low.
“A report recently found there have been no confirmed cases of players catching covid while on a pitch playing sport.
“All we’ve ever wanted is clarification as to why the kids aren’t allowed back. We know how serious the pandemic is and that people are at risk, but if we could see the evidence they’re using as justification then we’d accept the decision, no questions asked.
“We’re baffled by the lack of feedback from the government and we’ve never had any real information as to why this is now being allowed to continue on. All we’re told is wait for another two or three weeks.”
While the academy staff have been doing everything they can to keep the club’s youngsters improving and engaged, McManus admits that task is becoming tougher every day.
In the wake of Nicola Sturgeon’s announcement yesterday that groups of 15 people can resume outdoor non-contact sport from Friday, he is adamant the youngsters must be allowed to return to full action with their chances of making it professional hanging in the balance.
McManus said: “Non-contact training is a waste of time for kids. It stops you from playing games, which is where all the practice is put into action.
“At the moment we have schools returning and we have parks and public spaces now full of people.
“If we have kids on our pitch, we can control that environment much better. If anyone was feeling unwell they’d be nowhere near the pitch.
“We had the policies and procedures in place last year and we’re ready to roll them out as soon as we get told we can.
“No-one is really looking at the impact of keeping them away now. After a year their mental health and well-being is seriously being stretched.
“There’s also a real concern about kids falling out of love with the sport.
“Every kid in academy football has lost at least a year of development time. But at the top end everyone’s still developing and getting better.
“In general education you can claw that time back, but a year is a long time in football.
"Time will tell if these kids can catch up. Obviously we will do everything we can to make sure they do.”
