With the opening of our new Ralston Academy the Board of Directors and the 1st Team Management Team have shown a tremendous amount of faith in the St Mirren FC Youth Development Programme. This faith has to be repaid in due course and it shall be a massive undertaking much of which you will see on a daily basis. Very few clubs in Scotland are able to provide their young footballers with a dedicated training facility, therefore we must at all times strive to have not just the best players available locally and nationally but also internationally.

With the opening of European borders and the freedom of movement within we are starting to see young athletes moving about at an alarming rate in search of that "big break". Many of these young athletes come from impoverished backgrounds and see sport as a route to a better life, there is maybe a lesson there for all of us.


At St Mirren FC we shall always remain committed to sourcing the best players locally, but we as a Sporting Business have a duty to our fans to find the best players available for our first team manager, therefore it is imperative that our young Scottish players have to raise their game in terms of committment, desire and work ethic to remain part of the St Mirren FC Youth Development Programme.

Our young players must remember that they have to be committed 100% at all times, whilst still being allowed to be children.



Scott Anderson
Talent ID Manager