The Not-So-Secret Co-operative agreement

Ross H walks us the new loan arrangements

10 points to anyone who can name the 3 youth players I’ve given an AI anime overhaul to above in our Substack chat. (Clue – They are featured in this article). I might actually make this a fun wee thing going forward, see if I can find out who among you is competitive.

Now I hope I have got this right, as I’ve seen about 4 versions of this before clubs and the SFA finally agreed on this version and if you read the Substack chat you’d know my head was much and that one of our subscribers Neil kindly gave me a nudge to read it again, and then I spoke to a friend at the SFA to ensure I was on the right page…

The co-operative agreement that was one of the worst-kept secrets in Scottish football has finally been announced by the SFA. I’ve posted the link and done a copy and paste where I’ve highlighted and underlined the main bits.

SFA Link:

Young players given greater flexibility to move during key development stage as Cooperation System launches in Scotland

Cooperation System Explained

The Cooperation System comes following the Transition Report, authored by Scottish FA Chief Football Officer Andy Gould and Scottish FA Head of Men's Elite Strategy Chris Docherty. The report sought to establish trends in successful player development from across the world, and the authors have below answered some key questions relating to the new system.

Why has this cooperation system been introduced?

Based on the research we have carried out into similar systems in other countries, the Cooperation System affords more opportunities for the best young talent to get playing time. It offers an alternative to clubs and players, who may otherwise be denied a loan opportunity, whilst also having limited playing opportunities at their parent club. For example, clubs competing in Europe may not be able to send young players on loan due to homegrown matchday quotas, and clubs without a large budget may carry smaller squads and not send their best young talents on loan in case of an injury crisis. The Cooperation System gives young players the option to receive critical playing experiences at an appropriate level within the pyramid.

How does this system work?

A club can place a maximum of three players on a 'Cooperation List', and these players can move freely between the parent club and the club with whom they are in a Cooperation Agreement. So, for example, if the parent club has injuries in the player’s position, they can recall the player, provided they give the minimum prescribed amount of notice to the cooperation club. The parent club pays the salary for the player, and – unlike with loan deals – they maintain the player's registration.

What other countries use a version of this system?

Club cooperation systems already operate in a number of countries, such as Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Hungary and Serbia.

Which clubs can enter into these cooperation agreements?

A club in the SPFL Premiership or Championship is permitted to operate as the parent club and sign cooperation agreements with clubs further down the pyramid (League One, League Two, Highland League and Lowland League). Championship clubs are also able to be both a parent club to a club in a lower division and a recipient club to a Premiership club. A club cannot sign a cooperation agreement with a club in the same league as their first team or B team.

Can a club enter more than one Cooperation Agreement?

The parent club may sign a cooperation agreement with a different club at each level of the pyramid, but a parent club cannot have two cooperation clubs within the same division.

Which players are eligible to move under the Cooperation System?

Only players who are eligible to play for the Scotland National Team and who are under the age of 21 would be able to participate on a ‘Cooperation List'. For the upcoming 2025/2026 season, a player designated as under-21 would refer to a player born in the calendar year 2005 or younger. This is in line with the definition used by other nations around Europe.

How many players can move to one club at a certain time?

The parent club, which pays the full salary for players under this system, is able to list a maximum of three players who would appear on a ‘Cooperation List’ between the two clubs.

Does the Cooperation System replace the previous Loans System?

The Cooperation System does not replace the Loans system, meaning clubs can use either of, or a combination of, both systems. A maximum of five players can be shared between two clubs (including loans and 'Cooperation List' players). Clubs can have a maximum of three loan players from club to club – therefore, the maximum split would be 2/3 or 3/2 in terms of loan/cooperation. Clubs are under no obligation to use all three slots if they sign a cooperation agreement.

When can players move between clubs under the Cooperation System?

Clubs are entitled to change the players on the Cooperation List – to remove a player who has been recalled or not participating and replace him with another young player who may benefit from the experience – but only during the summer and winter transfer windows, as well as the extended loan windows that follow the transfer windows. Players who are on the Cooperation List are able to move freely between both clubs throughout the season, although there is a minimum playing time for a player to remain on a cooperation list beyond the cut-off date of 31 March. As a minimum, a player on a Cooperation List must have played at least 15 minutes in at least five matches for the Cooperation club before 31 March to be eligible to feature for the Cooperation club after that date. This would ensure that a club cannot receive extra assistance for key games late in the season with a player being made available just for those games.

What could this look like for Celtic?

It is the question most will ask and I will get to that, but I’d also ask that you think about what it looks like for Scottish football as a whole because this is about co-operation, and in theory, it is meant to try and help us enhance the development of our young players, improve our lower leagues and ultimately start increasing the standard of youth development as a whole. However, we have to appreciate that fans of lower league clubs see this as their clubs doing a job that we have failed to do, and if the player is successful for them and they come back to us and we sell them and pocket all the cash, is that fair?

It's one to ponder and maybe look at in more detail if this setup stays for a period of time. My instant thought was if a player joins a co-op club and comes back only to be instantly sold, then the co-op club receives a % based on the volume of minutes that they played for that team starting. An example would be 1% for 5 to 10% of available minutes, 2% for 10 to 20% of available minutes and so on up to a max of 10% for 90 to 100% of available minutes. That then gets some money flowing through the pyramid.

But, for Celtic, it could look like this:

We could have a co-op agreement with Queens Park (seems likely) and loan a maximum of 5 players there as a mix co-op / loan agreements on a 3/2 ratio of players between the ages of 16 and 21 who are eligible to play for Scotland for the co-op element to them.

So we could say to Queens Park, these are some of the players are available to you as cooperative options. Who do you think you would be best suited to your needs, as we want to try and get 3 players out to a Championship club and have them get as many minutes as possible?

Colby Donovan – Right back / Central Defender

Mitchell Frame – Left back

Kyle Ure – Central Midfielder

Samuel Iziguso – Winger

Aidan Rice – Goalkeeper

Rhys Dargie -- Winger

Loan options would be guys like:

Joey Dawson (England) and Filip Skorb (Poland) – Strikers

Josh Clarke (N. Ireland) – Goalkeeper

Overall, the co-operative agreements picture could end up looking something like this:

Celtic (Parent Club) with agreements in all 3 tiers below SPFL:

Championship: Queens Park (max 3 on co-op)*

League One: Alloa (max of 3 on co-op)*

League Two: Stirling Albion (max of 3 on co-op)*

Lowland League: Celtic B – So no co-op options available due to us already being participants at this level

*All of whom could then take another 2 players from us as part of existing loan transfer rules

Now, before we even agree to a co-operative deal with Queens Park or anyone else. I would want a real investigation into numerous things, and hopefully that would extend into more than a partner club having someone who knows the secret St Aloysius handshake. I’ve no idea what the St Aloysius handshake is, but I’ve heard it ends with a knowing nod and that you get some kind of special coin if you are a “real one”. I can’t help but wonder...

Anyhoo;

My need-to-know list would be things like:

• What are the club X recruitment needs, and do we have players that we can make available to fit those needs in order to try and maximise minutes played?

• What are Club X's aims for the coming season?

• How do club X view the players we have or are likely to make available, and what do they know about our young players? Have they done their research?

• A review of the location and facilities the players will be working in

• What will our players' days look like with club X?

• Who will they be working with (manager, coaches, physios, welfare, etc.)

• Understand training methods and practices and approaches to players' football education

• Have we had good discussions with the players (including their parents / agents) who we are liable to make available to ensure they understand the situation and ensure they are committed to giving their all to ensure they get the most out of this move and discuss any blockers or concerns that they may have?

• Do we have clear targets that each player can go and look to achieve in order to give themselves a platform that can elevate their chances of moving into our first team upon their return to the club?

• Volume of agreed contact between club staff to discuss performance/development/concerns

• Agreed level of contact with the player and agent to discuss how things are going

• If the player is still studying (school, college, university), then how will our partner club support them with that?

• And a million other things, from travel details to any potential promotional activities, etc.

If we cannot do (or haven’t already done) these basic things, then we are not doing it right, and yet again you’ll find me accusing the club of paying nothing more than lip service to the idea that our aim is to produce players capable of playing in the Champions League.

I’m not kidding when I say I’d want to know the scent of club X manager's fart before I’d sign this deal, because small details matter, and our Academy in my opinion, struggles with big details, so forgive me if I’m a tad overzealous when this topic pops up. If you want the best, you look for the best, and if that means going through every Championship, League One and Two club in microscopic detail to find the best, then so be it. This is an opportunity to get up to 9 players out across 3 agreements, with an additional 2 players joining each of these teams on loan. In theory, that is 15 players playing across the 3 tiers of Scottish football; that is where we can make these agreements. Then we can still use the normal loan market. It’s a brilliant opportunity for us to get players game time and start putting a system in place that will support players to fulfil the ambitions that we and they have for their future in football.

So, if any of you get an invite to the next fan forum, here is a question for you to ask. What level of due diligence did the club do before deciding on who to sign partnership agreements with, and what is the strategy for loaning out players?

As always, my thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this content. @ me in the Substack chat if you want to discuss or comment below.

Oh, and before I forget, thanks again for the nudge, Neil (Substack chat).