Reasons behind the six-figure reduction Celtic are due to face in their yearly SFA academy support

Scottish football is never far removed from debates about youth development.

Despite recent criticism, Celtic’s academy remains one of the strongest in the country. Just last month, it was a Celtic academy graduate who scored the decisive goal that sent Scotland to their first World Cup in 28 years, while another product of the Parkhead system, Ben Gannon-Doak, provided an assist on the same night.

Celtic could be hit with SFA academy funding cuts

Running an academy is expensive, but a club of Celtic’s size can manage the costs far more easily than smaller sides such as Partick Thistle.

However, clubs across Scotland are currently losing promising young players to English teams at an increasing rate — with Celtic prospect Dara Jikiemi this week agreeing terms with Liverpool.

At the same time, major changes are taking place in Scottish youth football. The SFA has recently confirmed the closure of its JD Performance Schools, which played a key role in developing talents like Billy Gilmour and other current Scotland internationals.

And that isn’t the only setback — academy funding across Scotland is also reportedly under threat.