RANGERS youth supremo Craig Mulholland reckons the introduction of Colt teams in the SPFL structure would help boost the development of some of Scotland’s rising stars.
The prospect of second string sides playing in League Two has come to the fore once again in recent weeks and SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster has refused to rule out the possibility of a league revamp as talks continue at Hampden.
The move would see Graeme Murty’s Development Squad enter the fourth tier of Scottish football to gain vital experience in a competitive environment before they make a bid for first team action.
And Gers Head of Academy Mulholland believes the proposal could benefit kids as they look to bridge the gap between youth football and Mark Warburton’s side.
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He told SportTimes: “When we look at our young players age 16 or 17, I am convinced, having been to tournaments with them all over Europe and played some of the top club sides, that they are every bit as good as those in many of these other nations that we herald as being excellent at youth development.
“I think the period between 16 and 20 is a critical period and we have to change that.
“At some other clubs, there may be a chance to get in the first team sooner than there is at Rangers or Celtic, for example. In England, you don’t make your debut in the Premier League now until an average age of 23.
“We need to try and get these kids the equivalent of first team football at a younger age and the Colt team concept would be beneficial in helping some of Scotland’s best young talent.”
Premiership clubs fielded Colt sides in the Irn-Bru Cup this season as the SPFL overhauled the competition and also included teams from Northern Ireland and Wales alongside Championship, League One and League Two outfits.
Rangers were beaten by Stenhousemuir in the second round while Celtic got one stage further before losing 5-1 to Livingston.
Now Mulholland hopes his Auchenhowie kids will have a chance to put their wits against league clubs on a more regular basis.
He said: “We would love it as soon as we could but there are a lot of factors for Scottish football to consider.
“There is the player development aspect, there is the integrity of the league for the clubs already there and there are a whole host of discussions to be had before we get to that point.
“From our point of view, it is something we would be keen on as soon as we can but there are definitely a few hurdles to cross first of all.”
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