Young Scottish players have seen their playing opportunities shoot up by almost 50%, following this season's introduction of the Scottish FA's Cooperation System and the revamp of the SPFL's KDM Evolution Trophy.

The Cooperation System was launched ahead of this season, providing increased flexibility for players in the ‘transition phase’ of 16-21 to move between their parent club and a Cooperation Club throughout the campaign, while the KDM Evolution Trophy was changed by the SPFL with a new format

that includes William Hill Premiership B teams in a league phase format.

The total number of minutes for Scottish Under-21 players (born in the calendar year 2005 or younger) has increased by 71,395 minutes, with increases across the William Hill Championship, League One and League Two, Highland League, Lowland League, Premier Sports Cup and the KDM Evolution Trophy.

This increase (measured from the start of the season to the 29th of October) means the total number of minutes has risen to 224,045, up 46% from the 152,650 at the same stage of the 2023/2024 season, before the publication of the Scottish FA's Transition Report during the 2024/2025 season.

The Transition Report was published by the Scottish FA's Chief Football Officer, Andrew Gould, and Head of Men's Elite Strategy, Chris Docherty, focusing specifically on the issues facing players in their transition from academy to senior football, with the changes to the Challenge Cup and the introduction of the Cooperation System both recommended in the report. 

The minutes for young players in William Hill League One have risen by 70.6% from two seasons ago, while the league that has seen the biggest jump has been the Highland League, with minutes played going from 22,046 to 47,160 - an increase of 113.9%. The KDM Evolution Trophy has seen minutes increased by 153.9%, owing partly to the revamped format.

Clubs in the William Hill Premiership and the William Hill Championship are permitted to enter Cooperation Agreements, with up to three sides in tiers 2, 3, 4 and 5. So far, 14 Premiership and Championship sides have utilised this system in some capacity, with 25 arrangements agreed in total.

Among those to utilise the system have been Heart of Midlothian, who are in partnership with St Johnstone, Montrose and The Spartans, Aberdeen, who are in collaboration with Elgin City and Kelty Hearts, and Rangers, who are in Cooperation Agreements with Raith Rovers, Stirling Albion and Alloa Athletic.

Hibernian's Freddie Owens had the highest number of minutes from players on a Cooperation Agreement during the first part of the season, playing 1170 minutes prior to the end of October for East Kilbride.

Among the other players to benefit are Celtic's Kyle Ure, who was a virtual ever-present for Ayr United, prior to his unfortunate recent injury, playing 851 minutes prior before October 29th.

Motherwell's Olly Whyte played 741 minutes up to the end of October while at Stenhousemuir, while Kilmarnock's Euan Bowie played 825 minutes for Albion Rovers in that period and Ayr United's Jamie Hislop got on the field for 897 minutes at East Stirlingshire.

In addition to the Cooperation System and the KDM Evolution Trophy refresh, the Under-18 level within Club Academy Scotland (CAS) and the SPFL Reserve League were also replaced with a hybrid Under-19 category in CAS for this season, with several overage players also allowed to participate.

Since the season started, there have already been 170 over-age players that have participated in these matches across the divisions, giving the youngsters further exposure to men's football from a young age.

Andrew Gould, Chief Football Officer, Scottish FA: "Though we are still in the early stages of witnessing the changes that were introduced ahead of the 2025/2026 season, I am encouraged to see increases with regards to the opportunities our young players are getting.

"We made it clear in last year's report that, as a nation, we are lagging behind several other countries when it comes to chances for players in the key transition phase, and while there is still a lot of work for us to do, the buy-in from clubs at this stage has been extremely positive. 

"As well as the impact of the Cooperation Agreement, which is giving clubs a significant amount of flexibility, we are seeing increased numbers across the board, which can only be a positive for Scottish football. 

"We know that there is still significant work to do, however, and we will continue to work with the clubs as we all strive to promote positive opportunities for young players at this key point in their development."

Chris Docherty, Head of Men's Elite Strategy, Scottish FA: "We have seen several clubs take advantage of the Co-operation System, and there are still others that we hope may utilise this more in future.

"But whether it's Co-operation Loans, traditional Loans, utilising the cup competitions or simply an increased focus on playing youngsters in first teams as part of overall club strategies, we need to see these players given more chances. 

"It's a hugely exciting time for the national game, with the recent qualification for the FIFA World Cup, but it's imperative that we don't stand still. 

"Through innovations such as the Cooperation System, and continued research like our recent-published Review of Youth Development, it's vital that we keep striving to ensure that we are a nation that maximises our resource to deliver the best possible results for our young players."

Neil Doncaster, SPFL group chief executive, said: “It’s hugely encouraging to see young Scottish players’ minutes increase by nearly 50% so far this season, and it’s a clear reflection of the tangible impact of our revamped KDM Evolution Trophy and the Cooperation System.

“The feedback we’ve received from our member clubs on both the Cooperation System, and the new KDM Evolution Trophy format has been overwhelmingly positive to date.

“It’s great to see these changes are giving emerging talent more exposure to senior football, which can only help their development and be good news for the wider Scottish game.”