But research commissioned by my office to explore the youth registration process in Scotland has discovered that the rights of children and young people are given scant consideration when professional clubs take them on to youth programmes.
My office recently submitted a report to the Scottish parliament's public petitions committee. It found the current youth football registration system focused too much on children as commodities, with young players and their families unaware of the restrictions placed on them when they signed up to a professional football club.
In Scotland, at least 2,500 players aged between 10 and 17 are registered with professional football clubs. This undoubtedly brings great benefits and the young people who took part in our research loved playing football, were proud to gain registration with a professional club and had a strong personal commitment to succeed.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
