UNLOCK THE PITCHES

SFA chairman Mulraney demands councils act to help our kids grow

- SCOTT BURNS

SFA chief Mike Mulraney wants the chains and padlocks to be taken off our pitches so the future of Scottish football can really kick on.

A lot has been made about the lack of young talent coming through and getting their opportunity in this country.

People point to a lack of facilities but the chairman's biggest bugbear is what we do have isn't being maximised.

He points to the number of pitches and artificial parks that are locked up and children can't get access to.

"Our programme is no more pitches getting closed down and shut," Mulraney, speaking ahead of the SFA’s AGM, claimed. “It can't be allowed any more. What we have, we improve and what we don't have, we build.

"We've got hundreds of millions of assets in Scotland, if not billions, that were built at great expense to the taxpayer and they're locked up. Pitches are locked up.

“From Arran to Elgin. Locked up on a Sunday afternoon to keep it good in all these schools. They're locked. Why?

“It's mental. Hundreds of millions of pounds’ worth of assets in our schools’ estate. It's the nation that owns these things and they're locked up.”

The SFA are playing their part with the Pitching In campaign which aims to invest at least £50million ahead of Euro 2028, which Scotland will co-host along with England, Ireland and Wales.

A lot of new artificial parks and surfaces have been paid for by grants and different streams, like the proceeds of crime.

Most are run by local authorities and Mulraney knows that a lot of players are being priced out of the game because of extortionate hire prices.