Report
The Committee published its report on 22 June 2020
2nd Report, 2020 (Session 5) Report on Petition PE1319 - Improving youth football in Scotland (3,166KB pdf)
Scottish Government response
The Scottish Government responded to the Committee's report on 3 November 2020:
Scottish Government response of 3 November 2020 (702KB pdf)
Summary:
20 April 2010: The Committee took evidence from William Smith and Scott Robertson and agreed to write to the Scottish Government, Scottish Football Association, Scottish Football League, Scottish Premier League, Scottish Amateur Football Association, Scottish Youth Football Association, STUC, Scottish Child Law Centre, Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People, KNVB (Royal Dutch Football Association), a selection of local authorities (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, North Ayrshire) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills seeking responses to points raised in the petition and during the discussion. The Committee also agreed to write to Henry McLeish of the Scottish Football Review Committee to give evidence. Link to Official Report 20 April 2010 (558KB pdf)
29 June 2010: The Committee agreed to write again to the Scottish Amateur Football Association, STUC, Scottish Child Law Centre, KNVB (Royal Dutch Football Association), Edinburgh City Council, North Ayrshire Council and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills seeking the responses to its earlier letter which are outstanding. It also agreed to write to Henry McLeish of the Scottish Football Review Committee to give evidence. Link to Official Report 29 June 2010 (451KB pdf)
5 October 2010: The Committee took evidence from Henry McLeish, Chairman, Scottish Football Review Committee and agreed to write to the Scottish Government, Scottish Football Association, Scottish Child Law Centre and to Mr McLeish seeking responses to points raised in the petition and during the discussion. Link to Official Report 5 October 2010 (516KB pdf)
23 November 2010: The Committee agreed to invite the Minister for Public Health and Sport, Chief Executive of the Scottish Football Association, Chief Executive of the Scottish Premier League, Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People, sportscotland and the Chief Executive of Rangers Football Club and Celtic Football Club to give oral evidence at a future meeting. Link to Official Report 23 November 2010 (577KB pdf)
11 January 2011: The Committee took evidence from Shona Robison MSP, Minister for Public Health and Sport, Scottish Government; Stewart Regan, Chief Executive, Scottish Football Association, Neil Doncaster, Chief Executive, Scottish Premier League; Tam Baillie, Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People; Jim Sinclair, Director of Youth Development, Rangers Football Club; and Chris McCart, Head of Academy and Youth, Celtic Football Club. The Committee agreed to await the outcome of the Scottish Football Associations' Review Group findings. It also agreed to invite, in its legacy paper, the Session 4 Public Petitions Committee to give further consideration to the petition. Link to Official Report 11 January 2011 (617KB pdf)
4 October 2011: The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Professional Footballers Association, a selection of Scottish clubs including non Scottish Premier League clubs, FC Barcelona, IFK Gothenburg, the Scottish Youth Parliament, the Scottish Youth Football Association and the Scottish Schools Football Association seeking responses to specific points. Link to Official Report 4 October 2011 (472KB pdf)
24 January 2012: The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government, the Scottish Football Association, sportscotland, the Scottish Professional Footballers Association, Mr William Gibbons, Compass Chambers Advocates and Falkirk Football Club. Link to Official Report 24 January 2012 (318KB pdf)
17 April 2012: The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Football Association and sportscotland. Link to Official Report 17 April 2012 (473KB pdf)
26 June 2012: The Committee agreed to await the outcome of the Scottish FA, SPL and SFL's working party review and meantime draw the attention of the working party to the evidence received by this and the predecessor Committee on the issues of “contracts” and compensation payments. Link to Official Report 26 June 2012 (463KB pdf)
8 January 2013: The Committee agreed to await the outcome of the formal working party's review. Link to Official Report 8 January 2013 (474KB pdf)
26 November 2013: The Committee agreed to await the outcome of the SPFL General Meeting with a view to having a round-table evidence session at a future meeting. Link to Official Report 26 November 2013 (515KB pdf)
18 February 2014: The Committee agreed to hold a round-table discussion at a future meeting. Link to Official Report 18 February 2014 (463KB pdf)
20 May 2014: The Committee took evidence in a round table format from—
- Neil Doncaster, Chief Executive, Scottish Professional Football League;
- Andrew McKinlay, Director of Football Governance and Regulation, Scottish Football Association;
- John Murray, Heart of Midlothian FC;
- William Smith, and Scott Robertson, Petitioners.
The Committee agreed to reflect on the evidence heard and consider what action to take at a future meeting. Link to Official Report 20 May 2014 (491KB pdf)
3 June 2014: The Committee agreed to invite Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People to review the current registration process from a rights perspective and to report back to the Committee with his findings and to write to the Scottish Schools' Football Association. Link to Official Report 3 June 2014 (484KB pdf)
30 September 2014: The Committee noted the scoping paper by Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People and deferred further consideration of the petition until the Commissioner’s findings are available. Link to Official Report 30 September 2014 (509KB pdf)
26 May 2015: The Committee agreed to invite Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People to give evidence at a future meeting. Link to Official Report 26 May 2015
23 June 2015: The Committee took evidence from Tam Baillie, Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People. The Committee agreed to reflect on the evidence heard and consider a paper at a future meeting. Link to Official Report 23 June 2015
22 September 2015: The Committee agreed to write to Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People, the Scottish Football Association and the Scottish Professional Football League. Link to Official Report 22 September 2015
12 January 2016: The Committee agreed to write to Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People. Link to Official Report 12 January 2016
8 March 2016: The Committee agreed to include the petition in its legacy paper for consideration by the Session 5 Public Petitions Committee. In doing so, the Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government. Link to Official Report 8 March 2016
30 June 2016: The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Football Association, the Scottish Professional Football League, the Scottish Government, the petitioners, Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People, PFA Scotland, the Scottish Schools Football Association and the Scottish Youth Football Association. Link to Official Report 30 June 2016
29 September 2016: The Committee agreed to note the submissions received. Link to Official Report 29 September 2016
22 December 2016: The Committee took evidence from Fraser Wishart, Chief Executive, PFA Scotland, Roderick Houston, Honorary Vice President, Scottish Schools Football Association, David Little, Chief Executive, Scottish Youth Football Association and then Andrew McKinlay, Director of Football Governance and Regulation, Scottish Football Association and Neil Doncaster, Chief Executive, Scottish Professional Football League. Link to Official Report 22 December 2016
9 February 2017: The Committee took evidence from Tam Baillie, Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland. The Committee agreed to reflect on the evidence heard at a future meeting and thereafter invite further oral evidence from the Scottish Football Association, the Scottish Professional Football League and the Scottish Government. Official Report
30 March 2017: The Committee agreed to invite the Scottish Football Association and Scottish Professional Football League to provide further oral evidence at a future meeting and to write to the Professional Footballers Association Scotland. Official Report
15 June 2017: The Committee agreed to arrange visits to academies and, to consider a draft report on the petition at a future meeting. Link to the Official Report 15 June 2017
20 December 2018: The Committee considered a draft report on petition PE1319 by William Smith and Scott Robertson on Improving youth football in Scotland. Link to the Official Report 20 December 2018
6 June 2019: The Committee agreed to invite the Scottish Football Association and the Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland to give evidence at a future meeting. It also agreed to consider a revised draft report, in private, at a future meeting. Link to Official Report of Meeting 6 June 2019
7 November 2019: The Committee agreed to reflect on the evidence heard at a future meeting. Link to Official Report of Meeting 7 November 2019
30 January 2020: The Committee agreed to reflect on the evidence heard and consider a revised draft report at a future meeting. It also agreed to write to the Children and Young People’s Commissioner and the Education and Skills Committee. Link to Official Report of meeting 30 January 2020
11 June 2020: The Committee considered a revised draft report on public petition PE1319: Improving youth football in Scotland and agreed to consider a further draft by correspondence.
27 January 2021: The Committee agreed to close the petition under Rule 15.7 of Standing Orders on the basis that the Committee has considered all aspects of the petition in significant detail over a period of 10 years covering several sessions of Parliament; the majority of actions in the petition have been considered and concluded in earlier sessions of the Parliament; the Scottish Government has committed to liaising directly with the petitioners as well as the Scottish FA and the Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland on the outstanding issues when restrictions will allow; and the Scottish FA has confirmed that a working party has been established to review the registration rules in relation to 15, 16 and 17-year olds. The Committee also agreed to write to the Minister for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing, the Scottish FA, the Convener of the Health and Sport Committee and the petitioners. Link to Official Report of Meeting 27 January 2021
Written Submissions: