Hearts unveil new talent strategy as Jamestown plays key role amid four critical objectives

Hearts have confirmed the launch of their new talent strategy, which will run in conjunction with Jamestown Analytics.

The Premiership leaders have revealed plans for ‘The Hearts Way,’ which aims to support the club's young players through the boys and girls' academy, professional development phase and senior squads. There are four key pillars in the new plans that will look to create a high-performance environment for development.

Technical development manager Shelley Kerr, sporting director Graeme Jones and academy director Andrew Webster have been working on the initiative in recent months. Regular minutes for youth players are being sought through the U19s league and Scottish FA co-operation system, where Hearts have agreements with The Spartans, Montrose and St Johnstone. It will also align and work with the Jamestown model of player ratings, which requires talents to play a certain number of minutes at senior level.

What is the Hearts Way?

A statement reads: “Heart of Midlothian is pleased to formally unveil 'The Hearts Way' - a new strategy implemented across both our boys' and girls' academy to develop more homegrown players for the First Team. Led by Technical Development Manager Shelley Kerr, alongside Sporting Director Graeme Jones and Academy Director Andrew Webster, the Hearts Way has shaped new processes to support the future direction of our young players in their journey through the academy, professional development phase, and the senior squads.

“The Hearts Way is governed by four key pillars and looks to foster a high-performance environment both on and off the pitch - with wrap-around support to young players who aren't successful in reaching our first team squads; Culture & Identity, Style of Play, Player & Coach development, Talent management.

“Underlining the importance of giving our young players as many minutes on the pitch as possible, the Hearts Way will align with the Jamestown Analytics model of player ratings, and work in tandem with the introduction of the U19s league and Club Co-Operation system by the Scottish FA.”

What have Hearts said about The Hearts Way?

Kerr said: "The Hearts Way is one of the first projects I started on when I joined the club. We want more homegrown players, and this will hopefully provide clarity on what we're trying to achieve. We're always looking at trends within the game, and what worked five years ago may not be suitable for now. We need to have a cohesive pathway and ensure everything aligns to the Jamestown model."

Webster added: "The Hearts Way is a crucial piece of work. From my perspective, all of the staff at the academy have had an input into this to gain a deeper understanding.

"The stats will tell you this is an extremely difficult sport to become a professional. We want to get as many players into the first team environment as we can, but also prepare some for life after Hearts and after football too."