Riccarton youth academy teenagers will play in the new Scottish Under-19 league

Hearts have signed James Wilson’s brothers as part of a group of youth academy players graduating into professional football. Alfie and Stanley Wilson penned their first professional contracts at Tynecastle Park, along with seven other teenagers making the jump into the full-time environment.

Many of the players are youth internationalists and will play in the new Scottish Under-19 league this season while also pushing for places in Angus Beith’s Hearts B team. Wilson, 18, emerged from the Edinburgh club’s youth academy in 2023, became a first-team regular and also enjoyed notoriety as the youngest Scottish international footballer in history. His siblings are now keen to follow in his footsteps.

Alfie and Stanley Wilson were part of the Hearts Under-16 squad last season. Alfie is a right-back who already had experience with the Under-18s, and Stanley is a central midfielder involved with Scotland Under-16s. They join striker Connor Dow, defender Euan Glasgow, winger Jaedon Donker, defender/midfielder James Mulholland, defender/midfielder Liam Walker, plus forwards Sam Dickov and Tommy North.

The Hearts youth academy director Andy Webster explained to the club website that coaching staff will now help guide the teens as they adjust to full-time sport. “It's a reward for their hard work up to this point,” he said. “They can celebrate this moment and appreciate making it to the first rung of the ladder. It's a great time to celebrate with the players and their families and I congratulate them all. The demands of a professional environment are different, but the coaching staff will be there to help them along the way."

Shelley Kerr, the club’s technical development manager, added: “One of the most important things for us as a club, is to have evidence of a robust pathway. Players and their families have clarity on what that looks like. Of course, individual performance is key, but it's important for Hearts to give our young players exposure to as many different environments as possible.”

New SPFL and Scottish FA initiative helps clubs

Hearts are keen to ensure their academy thrives as one of the best in Scotland to ensure they have the best youngsters pushing through to compete for first-team places. The competition for senior places has never been higher at present as new signings arrive in each transfer window, but the club remain committed to giving Scottish youth a chance at the top level.

A new initiative launched by the Scottish FA and Scottish Professional Football League allows clubs to develop youngsters easier. Co-operation agreements allow players aged 16 to 21 who are eligible to play for Scotland move freely between two clubs during a season. Hearts have already utilised the opportunity by signing a co-operation deal with their Edinburgh neighbours Spartans, who have taken teenage defender Kenzi Nair on loan.