Youth Player Pathway
๐๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ National Teams (U14, U15 & U17) ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ๐
Aligned with the Great Britain performance pathway and shaped by feedback from players, coaches, and clubs, weโve continued to evolve the National Teams structure to better support young athletes. Key updates include:
Expanded Age Groups โ We are thrilled to announce that this yearโs National Teams programme is expanding to include the U14 age group. This addition allows us to provide even more players with the opportunity to experience a high-performance training environment.
National Team Programme Model โ We will continue to offer a National Team structure at these age groups. This model allows players to train as a smaller squad under their National Team coaches, ensuring more individual attention. It also helps them develop a consistent style of play and build team chemistry ahead of tournaments.
Timings โ The majority of camps will now take place over weekends, making it easier for Club Coaches to attend. This also allows us to engage a broader pool of high-level coaches throughout the programme. All camps will begin after the conclusion of the club season, allowing players to fully commit to their club responsibilities before turning their focus to the National Team programme.
๐ TAG replaces Regional Academy ๐
The Regional Academy programme has also evolved, into TAG (Team Around the Game) and our new National Team structure further separates the two. Acceptance onto the National programme is not reliant on access to TAG (previously Regional Academy).
๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ National Teams Programme ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ
The National Team programme will continue to be led by Donnie MacDonald, Bart Sengers and Darryl Wood.
Our SCO National Teams provide a platform for players who have the potential to play for Scotland at Youth level and, in the future, GB Youth or Senior level.
FIBA, the world governing body for basketball, set the regulations for international competitions. As such, we comply with their regulations about player eligibility and participation in competitions.
The rules are as follows:
1. Players must be born in SCO (Scotland), or
2. Playersโ parents/grandparents must be born in SCO.
In addition, selected players must have a valid British passport.
Where a player has a passport prior to their 16th Birthday and has been resident in the country for at least 4 years, but doesnโt meet the โheritageโ criteria above, then the National Federation is allowed to select ONE โnaturalisedโ player in their squad of 12 players.
We also acknowledge and accept that we have eligible players across the globe. For SCO National Teams, we will include all eligible players, regardless of their domestic base - if you are of the acceptable standard, we will welcome your application to be involved in our programme.
Our SCO and GBR Youth Teams are governed by these regulations, and we will only be including players who meet the international criteria stipulated by FIBA
๐ Dates of the Programme ๐
The National Academy Programme will be delivered in partnership with Caledonia Gladiators and will take place in PlaySport, Stewartfield Way, East Kilbride on the following dates for both Male and Female players:
Camp 1 - (3 days) | 28th โ 30th December 2025 | U14 โ 25 players U15 โ 20 players U17 โ 18 players |
Camp 2 - (3 days) | 10th โ 12th April 2026 | U14 โ 16 players U15 โ 16 players U17 โ 14 players |
Camp 3 - (2 days) | 25th โ 26th April 2026 | U14 โ 14 players U15 โ 14 players U17 โ 12 players |
Camp 4 - (2 days) | 16th โ 17th May 2026 | U14 โ 14 players U15 โ 14 players U17 โ 12 players |
Camp 5 - (2 days) | 30th โ 31st May 2026 | U14 โ 14 players U15 โ 14 players U17 โ 12 players |
All sessions will be open to coaches who want to come along and learn.
๐ Expressions of interest ๐
Playing for Scotland is an incredible honour. One that requires commitment, hard work and desire. At this time, we are asking for expressions of interest from those born from 2009 โ 2013 who believe they have the ability and appetite to improve, a strong team ethos and an insatiable desire to play for Scotland. (Exceptional younger talent may be considered).
We want your coach to believe in you too, which is why we ask for coach endorsement within the expression of interest form. At least one coach from the Club is expected to attend these sessions with their player(s) to help maximise the playerโs chance of success through the learning they can take back to their club. It will also prove valuable for learning and development for the coach.
All expressions of interest must be submitted by:โฏMonday 1st September using the link below;
https://form.jotform.com/251832705061956
๐๐ปโโ๏ธ๐๐พโโ๏ธ Selections ๐๐พโโ๏ธ๐๐ปโโ๏ธ
For the first camp selection will be based on our current player depth chart and individual performance in the National Leagues. Invites will be sent out by 24th November 2025.
Selection for subsequent camps will be determined by player performance and demonstrated talent behaviours within each camp. Any coach who wishes to recommend players for future camps, should send an email recommending the reasons why, along with video evidence. This should be sent, at least one month prior to the camp, to competitions@basketball.scot
๐ท Costs ๐ท
The costs of the programme are still to be confirmed, so details of this will follow. Each camp will need to be booked and paid individually. All efforts will be made to make the National Team programme affordable for all, and scholarships will be available.
๐บ Sponsorship ๐บ
If you're interested in sponsoring any of our youth national teams, we'd love to hear from you. We're committed to keeping costs low while enhancing the player experience, and we're open to discussing both financial and in-kind sponsorship opportunities.
โ Questions โ
Any questions should be directed to competitions@basketball.scot
