Young Par selected for Performance Centre

Dunfermline Athletic U12 youth player Jack Zarebski has been selected to participate in the new SFA schools performance centre.

Dunfermline Athletic U12 youth player Jack Zarebski has been selected to participate in the new SFA schools performance centre based at Graeme High School in Falkirk. Jack who has been at the club for over two seasons lives in the Stirlingshire area and will attend Graeme High for the four year football programme starting after the summer. This new SFA initiative means that Jack will be a full time pupil at Graeme High School and his academic education will run in tandem with his football training and development.

DAFC Head of Youth Stephen Wright said:-

"This is a fantastic achievement for young Jack and a great opportunity for him to progress further in football with additional development from the SFA on top of his continued involvement with Dunfermline Athletic. The SFA performance school project is definitely the way forward for Scottish football as the ideal amount of practice for elite performers adds up to around 10,000 hours of training over 10 years, which breaks down to approximately 20 hours of practice a week. I am hopeful that through time, Fife will be selected as a designated area for a performance school as there is plenty of talent within our local area".

As part of the Scottish FA's £15m Performance Strategy, seven schools throughout the country have been selected to house the cream of Scotland's talented young footballers. There, they will marry their football education with their normal curriculum as part of theScottish FA's commitment to elite player development.

Seven coaches have been appointed to work in conjunction with the schools and the player's clubs to enhance their technical skills at a key stage of their development.

Ray McKinnon, the former Dundee United midfielder, Brian McLaughlin,the former Celtic winger, and Ian Ross, the former St Mirren player,have each been assigned to a school.  Ian Cathro, regarded as one of the most promising youth coaches in Scotland, has joined from Dundee United, and Gordon Craig, Greg Miller and Andrew Goldie bring a wealth of experience in youth coaching to complete the team.

They will each take up to 20 of the most talented under-12 players in their region - both boys and girls - and provide a minimum five extra coaching sessions focusing on skills development. Over a four-year period, this will provide the most talented young footballers throughout the country with an extra 800 sessions.

Led by SFA Performance Director Mark Wotte, the Regional Performance Schools will be the crown jewels of the Performance Strategy.  Mark Wotte said,:-

"A series of football festivals involving senior clubs, boys and girls clubs and school teams are currently under way to identify the best players eligible for each school in time for August enrolment."

Wotte believes the new schools will help produce Scotland internationalists of the future and spoke enthusiastically of the relationship between theScottish FA, education authorities, local authorities and the clubs.

The creation of the Regional Perfromance Schools is one of the most significant and positive developments for Scottish football in decades. The schools will enhance the coaching provided by clubs by implementing an individual player development programme by our experienced football teachers. Our young players need more contact time with the ball and must develop key skills like balance, agility, speed, movement and co-ordination."

Regional Performance Schools and Coaches:

Braidhurst High School (Motherwell) - Gordon Craig
Broughton High School (Edinburgh) - Greg Miller
Graeme High School (Falkirk) - Ian Ross
Grange Academy (Kilmarnock) - Andrew Goldie
Hazelhead Academy (Aberdeen) - Ray McKinnon
Holyrood Secondary School (Glasgow) - Brian McLaughlin
St John's High School (Dundee) Ian Cathro