Aberdeen Women co-manager Emma Hunter expects there to be more youth players in the squad for the next SWPL 1 season.
The Dons are already one of the youngest teams in the top flight, with an average squad age of 21 with only two players in the team over 25.
Aberdeen boast a good relationship with the U19’s, and several of their current players have come up through that pathway before establishing themselves with the senior team.
Co-manager Hunter hopes to integrate more youngsters into the first team ahead of next season, which she believes will benefit both parties.
“Our strategy isn’t just to compete in SWPL 1 for the next one or two years – we want to be sustainable in that league,” Hunter said.
“We have to invest in the youth and get them in the first team squad.
“There’s no point bringing them up to give them no game time, so we need to throw them in at the deep end at times and help them develop and learn.
“We’ve seen it before with Eva (Thomson), Jess (Broadrick) and Bayley (Hutchison) who have all come in at such a young age. It hasn’t done them any harm at all.
“It’s about making sure there are opportunities there for them to develop at the highest level and we’ll support them with that.
“We’ll definitely see some new young faces in the squad next season.”
Youth player success stories
Two youth players had cameo appearances for the first team during the 21/22 season, as Millie Urquhart and Mya Christie made two and three appearances, respectively.
Christie scored on her SWPL 1 debut against Partick Thistle, while Urquhart impressed in defence against established top-flight teams, Hibernian and Glasgow City.
Hunter reckons their involvement is another example of how successful their youth pathway is, and expects it to continue next term.
She said: “It’s really important at Aberdeen that we try and invest in the youth players. That’s why we were so successful this season.
“For example, Millie Urquhart is a really talented player who has played for the U17’s and she came in for the last few games and did brilliantly.
“There are plenty more young players at Aberdeen and it’s about keeping the door open for them to step up and join the first team.”