Championship duo did not apply for elite status

DUNDEE UNITED and St Mirren both revealed yesterday that they did not apply for elite status in the SFA’s controversial Project Brave set-up. The Tannadice club cited a lack of indoor facilities on Tayside as their main stumbling block, while rival Championship club Saints insisted they could not yet meet the staff numbers required. United confirmed they had been awarded ‘performance progressive’ status — the second of three tiers that make up the new youth system. Motherwell, Kilmarnock and Hamilton are set to join Scotland’s five biggest clubs — Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Hibernian and Aberdeen — in the eightteam elite band, although the SFA have yet to officially confirm their choice. It is believed that only six of Scotland’s league clubs were in favour of the new system, championed by SFA chief executive Stewart Regan and performance director Malky Mackay, and at least one club have had to make a six-figure investment to meet the criteria for elite status. Dundee recently advertised for four full-time academy coaches as well as a full-time medical professional and scout for their youth system in a bid to meet the SFA demands, but their neighbours revealed elite status was not an option, although United hope to get there by 2020. United’s academy director, Brian Grant, said on the club’s website that elite status was ‘unattainable due to factors outwith our immediate control, an example being indoor facilities of a standard that does not exist in Tayside or the surrounding area’. Grant added: ‘While many of the elite status criteria have been met, we do require further significant investment to realise our ultimate goal of elite status. ‘This will include the appointment of a number of key full-time staff to work with the current staff and appointments made in the last six months.’ Chairman Stephen Thompson insists their second-tier status will not derail their business model. ‘Our commitment to identifying, attracting and developing the best young players remains a key focus,’ he said. St Mirren also confirmed they would be in the ‘performance progressive’ category. A club statement read: ‘To achieve elite level we will have to employ five additional members of staff on a full-time basis (Under-18s coach, sports scientist, head of recruitment, performance analyst, head of children’s programme). Over the next three years we will actively strive to recruit these positions as fits in with our business model and the time frame given to achieve elite level status.’