My 11 year old daughter India has always played football with a boys' grassroots team as there was no access to a girls team in our area when she started out. She signed with an U13 Next Gen girls team last August, aiming to develop further by playing at the highest level of girls football in Scotland for her age. At first she was reluctant to join the girls pathway as it meant dropping back to 7-a-side football when her boys team had moved to 9-a-side. She was also unsure about playing in a triple age group with girls up to three years younger than her as she’s used to single age groups with boys. 

The transition to Next Gen football went smoothly as she was able to get dual registration, meaning she could continue on the boys pathway whilst being involved with girls football. She looked forward to more challenging games with her boys team whilst trying to adapt to a new way of playing/training with girls. 

However, by October last year she was heartbroken when told that playing for both a Next Gen team and a boys' grassroots team was no longer allowed. We both feel that her being allowed to continue on the boys pathway will aid her development. It would mean that she could dip her toes into competitive 11-a-side football at the same time as every 2013 boy in the country. This August she will be in the oldest age bracket in a triple age group at Next Gen and continuing with the boys will also give her more of a physical challenge.

Whilst I believe there is no rush to get to 11-a-side football and it’s a fact that smaller sided games offer more touches on the ball, she could get some valuable learning experiences that would stand her in good stead for moving to competitive 11s with girls which now comes a year later for her in the Next Gen format. 

Keen to get the Scottish Youth Football Association (SYFA) and the Scottish Football Association (SFA) to reconsider, I contacted them to explain why we thought it would benefit girls to continue playing with boys. We were told it wasn’t possible as allowing dual registration would be an unfair and unequal approach as boys' academy players are banned from playing grassroots. This argument fails to consider the greater disparity in resources and opportunities between many of the boys and girls academies in Scotland.

Many boys' academy players in Scotland, especially those at top clubs, have ample access to resources so they can be constantly challenged. They often participate in numerous tournaments at home and abroad,  frequent cross-border games, futsal, best v best fixtures and receive the opportunity to grow their skills within single age group teams every year. 

Many academy boys will also have had years of extra free development opportunities in the pre academy phase. Girls, on the other hand often don’t get anywhere near the same opportunities to challenge themselves, often playing in teams that span up to four age groups. 
Many girls have to go looking for academy opportunities and trials. They often have to pay to attend camps etc at top clubs in the hope of getting noticed. If a boy is good enough he will likely be spotted at a very young age by one of the many scouts that are at boys grassroots games every weekend up and down the country.

The SYFA also argued that like boys academy players, girls in the Next Gen system are classed as above the level of boys grassroots. The assumption that Next Gen girls are too advanced to gain from playing with boys’ grassroots teams is baffling and shows a real lack of understanding of the girls game. Many boys that are now in academy football will have come from advanced level grassroots. Many girls academy players may struggle at boys advanced grassroots in their own age group, especially if they have never played with boys! If a girl can still be challenged in a team that doesn’t play at the highest level of grassroots then surely it’s common sense that they are not above boys grassroots. It makes absolutely no sense that a girl can be deemed too good for her own age group in boys grassroots but then be allowed to play against girls up to 3 years younger than her! 

 Limiting opportunities in this manner does not promote equality; instead, it exacerbates the already existing inequality girls and women face in football. In 2025 this is absolutely bonkers! It makes me question whether as a country do we really want to push girls to reach their full potential, or are we just happy to settle with the great progress the girls game has made over the last few years!  I’m sure this isn’t the case but with so much research suggesting girls would benefit from playing with boys as long as possible then it seems absolutely insane that we would deny players that are good enough for Next Gen that opportunity from as young as 10 years old.

The SYFA’s intention to ensure equality is commendable but their current policy achieves the opposite. By prohibiting Next Gen girls from dual registration, they are inadvertently hindering their development and progression.  It is critical for the SYFA to recognize that the academy system is not equal and boys and girls academy players are not the same. 

Boys grassroots football in Scotland isn’t over run with girls. In my daughter’s age group in the Glasgow and District league it was rare to see another female player. This is because many talented girls are still reluctant to join a boys team for various reasons, even when they are capable. This makes it even more important to allow those who are comfortable stepping in to boys football to enhance their development to be allowed to do so. 
Now that girls can sign for a Next Gen team from around age ten it seems like a great idea to allow the younger Next Gen players the chance to mix boys and girls football when they are still playing non-competitive football at Next Gen if they wish to. 

I urge the SFA and the SYFA to reconsider their decision and allow dual registration for girls playing within the Next Gen system at U13s. Please help me encourage the SYFA to rethink allowing Next Gen girls the opportunity to dual register with boys grassroots teams.

Thank You

Elaine