Hearts make key change over player development as Jamestown plays crucial role in plans for 'top talent'

Hearts have confirmed that the club’s ‘B’ team will no longer be in operation come the end of the season.

The Jambos were one of the sides, alongside Rangers and Celtic, to implement a youth team in the Lowland League, the fifth tier of Scottish football. They currently sit 16th in the table but it’s been revealed by the Premiership side that a change in approach will come into play from the start of next campaign.

News breaks amid the announcement of ‘The Hearts Way,’ which aims to support the club's young players through the boys and girls' academy, professional development phase and senior squads. New plans will look to create a high-performance environment for development as regular minutes for young players are sought, including through the Scottish FA co-operation system, where Hearts have agreements with The Spartans, Montrose and St Johnstone. It works with the Jamestown Analytics model of player ratings, which requires players to play a certain number of minutes at senior level.

Why have Hearts moved away from ‘B’ teams

While much of focus on Jamestown has been at first team recruitment level since investor Tony Bloom brought the software to Gorgie, it will be used as a key factor in development of Hearts’ top prospects. A statement reads: “Earlier this month, the club announced, ‘The Hearts Way’, a new strategy to develop more homegrown talent across both the boys’ and girls’ academy.

“With a focus on providing a clear, club-wide approach to player development that reflects our values and long-term vision, we can now reveal how we will be implementing the next strategic step. From season 2026/27, the club will make a progressive pathway change that will, we believe, give us the best opportunity to capitalise on both internal and external factors.

“This season has seen the introduction of Club Cooperation Agreements (CCAs), an initiative that allows greater flexibility than the previous domestic loan system. Players who are eligible to play for Scotland national teams between the age of 16-21 can join a lower-league club on loan but are able to move between parent club and loan club throughout the season. Widely utilised across Scottish football, our CCAs are currently in place with St Johnstone, Montrose and Spartans, and already the game in our country is seeing the benefits. A recent Scottish FA Report has highlighted a 50% increase in playing time for young players.

What role will Jamestown Analytics play in Hearts player development?

“This early exposure to senior men’s football has another benefit to Hearts, and Hearts only, through Jamestown Analytics. Although the public focus on JTA predominantly centres around the first team, its methodology extends to our younger players too. Put simply, the more these young talents play in Scotland’s professional leagues, the more they become aligned with JTA, which strengthens our ability to identify, nurture and progress them effectively.

“Given the success of CCAs and the importance of JTA in our future direction, the club has made the decision that the B Team will no longer operate beyond the end of this season. Our club academy will continue to nurture and develop young players all the way up to U19s, and from there we will stretch and challenge these players early in their careers through CCAs and other loan opportunities.

“We firmly believe this is the best way to accelerate the development of younger players and prepare them for the demands of senior football, while at the same time, through JTA, ensuring we are in the best position to make informed and objective decisions regarding our top talent.”