Scottish FA JD Performance Schools

At the heart of the Scottish FA’s performance strategy are seven schools that have been operating since 2012 to support the development of Scotland’s best young footballing talent. The Performance Schools programme is designed to give talented boys and girls, with the best potential to develop their abilities, the opportunity to practise football everyday within an educational environment.

The vision

Ensuring talented young players develop into successful professionals is an extremely challenging task that can be affected by many factors.  The player’s family, peers, school and clubs will all have a significant influence on how they develop.

The vision for the Performance Schools is to provide an environment that gives young boys and girls the best possible chance to fulfil their potential. The coaching at the schools is focused on creating a new generation of Scottish players that are equipped to prosper in the modern game. 

In short, we are looking to produce players with excellent technique who can pass with precision, control with comfort, run with purpose and play with joy.

What are the Performance Schools?

The seven performance schools across Scotland each run a programme in partnership with the Scottish FA for boys and girls within the S1 to S4 age groups. Every year, each school will select a number of the most talented under-12 players to join the programme. Over a four-year period, this will provide the most talented young footballers throughout the country with an extra 800 hours of coaching.

Each school has a full-time elite youth coach who has overall responsibility for the delivery of the programmes. Each coach in turn is supported by a range of national team and club coaches, sport scientists and other specialist experts.  The schools are:

• Hazlehead Academy – Aberdeen
• St John’s RC High School – Dundee
• Broughton High School – Edinburgh
• Graeme High School – Falkirk
• Holyrood Secondary School – Glasgow
• Grange Academy – Kilmarnock
• Braidhurst High School – Motherwell

Coaching takes place during regular school hours within an appropriate timetable that compliments their academic studies and their club football team.  Although the primary focus is on developing elite young players it is important to understand that the programme is also about the young person and player.

The sessions delivered by the coach will assist with the development of Curriculum for Excellence outcomes, including developing pupils’ ability to communicate effectively, be responsible for their actions, contribute to their own and others’ learning experiences and become more confident people.

What does an average day look like?

On average pupils will be training between 75 to 90 minutes each day.  Daily coaching will consist of four main components, which are delivered in an integrated way and focus on the development of:

• Technical skills (passing, dribbling, moving with the ball)
• Tactical skills (defending, attacking, decision making, game awareness)
• Physical skills (co-ordination, balance, speed, agility)
• Mental skills (mindset, perseverance, focus, discipline)

The results are monitored regularly (through skills tests, report cards and parents evenings) to provide support to the pupils’ development from both a playing and academic point of view.