Vale of Leven Juniors boss Brian Brown has labelled the SFA’s decision to lock more than 400 players born in 2001 out of development football “disgusting” as he called on a rethink.
Last week, the Scottish FA’s professional game board rejected a proposal to extend the age limit of the new Scottish Lowland Development League from under-20 to under-21.
The SLDL wants to increase the age limit to include players that missed out on a full season of football last season due to the pandemic, with the competition unable to start last year due to Covid-19 restrictions.
However the Scottish FA have rejected the plans, citing concerns that it could negatively impact younger age groups - and have instead suggested clubs, including Vale of Leven, loan 2001 players out instead.
Vale’s under-20s side currently has eight 2001-born players. With current rules allowing just two to be named in matchday squads.
And with an estimated 483 players now barred from playing for their clubs, Brown has called for an urgent rethink before youngsters are lost to the game.
He said: “It’s absolutely disgusting.
“Not even just from a football point-of-view, but also for the young guys’ mental health. It’s ridiculous.
“As far as I’m concerned, they need to have a right good look at that and see if it can be overturned, or if there’s something else we can do for these guys.
“These guys have missed a season and a bit of football and their development.
“You could turn off a generation from football. That is the big danger of this.
“Some of these guys are maybe not quite ready to play full-time in the first team, but they won’t be happy just getting bits and pieces of gametime. They fully expect to be playing.
“For me, this would’ve been a major bit of their development. It would’ve allowed them to play against guys their own age at a really good standard, which the league was looking like it was going to be.
“That is a major loss.
“It’s not just our club. It’s all the clubs.
“It’s just not fair on those boys through absolutely no fault of their own.”
Youth development is a key part of Vale’s structure, with 13 of the 17 players in the matchday squad on Saturday under-20s graduates.
But Brown now worries that many will simply drift away from football as a result of the ban.
He continued: “It’s a massive concern that players could be turned off football by this. Especially given everything that everyone has been through in the past 18 months.
“You’d think there would be some leeway in the way these guys have been treated.
“I think with the amount of pressure being put on they might have to reconsider.
“We are all hoping that they will take another look at it and hopefully see sense.
“It’s far too many players who will be impacted. You’re talking about almost 500 boys. A handful would be bad enough, but for 500 to be left out of football is unthinkable.
“It can’t be allowed to happen.”
The Lowland Development League have appealed the decision.
