St Mirren strikes two co-operation club partnerships
St Mirren has announced a partnership with two new clubs as part of a new system launched under the Scottish FA.
Both William Hill League Two side Dumbarton and Lowland League club Clydebank have formed a new link with the Scottish Premiership outfit as part of the new Cooperation System.
It will allow young St Mirren players to gain experience and game time with the West Dunbartonshire clubs without the constraints of formal loan agreements.
The new approach follows the Scottish FA's Transition Report, published in 2024, which showed that there aren't enough opportunities for players between the ages of 16 and 21.
The system allows the club to place a maximum of three players, who are eligible to play for the Scotland National Team and are under the age of 21, on a cooperation list.
And the new alliance is already starting to bear fruit as Carrick McEvoy, Thomas Falconer and Theo McCormick have all joined Dumbarton, with Billy Hutchison joining the Bankies after featuring as a trialist on Saturday.
Saints manager Stephen Robinson said: "I firmly believe in the loan system to develop our young players and something that hindered that previously was not being able to bring them back at certain stages or leaving yourselves short in numbers.
"With the cooperation agreement, we are able to get them into men's football and develop under other coaches. Hopefully, we can also help the coaches and the clubs they are going to. It will be a great benefit for both parties."
On paper, the system will allow these players to move back and forth between the co-op club and the parent club without being bound by any loan rules being enforced.
Chiefs at St Mirren say the club aims to provide individual development plans involving coaching and mentoring for players between aged between 16 and 18, resulting in clear pathways being set out and monitored.
The integration of academy graduates into the first team still remains "a priority" for the club as they focus on nurturing homegrown talent and optimising the financial sustainability of the club.
Academy director Allan McManus said: "We're looking to build a strategy that's going to help our young players get more experiences towards first-team football. The earlier we get young players exposed to first-team football, the better opportunities they'll have to go further in the game.
"We feel that any of our players that will go will be looked after and treated the right way. Hopefully it's the start of a positive relationship that will last several years and we're excited that our young ones are going out there."
He added: "We're all excited about the new cooperation agreements and the flexibility within them. I think it really helps the young players, they have the opportunity to be playing and learning. If they are thriving, then the manager can bring them back at any time and utilise them in the squad.
"Part of our strategy as a football club is that we want to engage with our local community and the surrounding areas as well. Longer-term we want to build more of these agreements and we believe it's going to make a significant difference in the development of our young players."
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