Friday 2nd February, 2024 at 11:59am
We are pleased to share the following update about the club’s Youth Academy within which we wanted to take an opportunity to, in particular, provide fans with a recap of some recent history.
The Academy has operated through Thistle Weir Youth Academy Limited for a number of years, with all the teams carrying that name. This was in recognition of the substantial capital and support provided by Mr Weir and his family, which sustained Academy operations for many years. The benefit of this support can be seen in the first team today and all at the Academy are incredibly grateful for the support that brought us to the end of the 2022/23 season.
At a board level, for a number of reasons, it was concluded in the summer of 2023 that the Academy could no longer be sustained. The generous support from the late Mr Weir and his family had been exhausted and, with a lack of staff, coaches, players and access to pitches, there seemed much to be done to continue Academy operations. As the football club board had other priorities at that time, a number of individuals came together voluntarily to salvage the Academy. The football club board were fully supportive of this initiative.
The proposition to the football club board was that these individuals would contribute time and effort to rebuild the staffing and operations of the Academy. Commercial sponsorship would be sought and any shortfall for the current season’s operations would be underwritten by a benefactor. During the season, analysis would also be carried out to determine how to ensure the Academy would be sustainable beyond the current season.
Initially the time commitment involved recruitment of full-time staff, seeking pitch security, expanding scouting, and recruiting new players and coaches. This initial stage also involved securing commercial partners, the support of which is greatly appreciated by all at the Academy.
In undertaking these tasks, the name was found to be an issue. In respect of funding, the association with the Weir name has led to the misconception that the Academy has vast amounts of money available to it. With the need to secure additional funding, this has made fundraising more challenging than it could be.
All at the Academy recognise the tremendous contribution to our history and development which has been played by Colin Weir through his generous historic funding. However, as the Academy moves forward and strives for sustainability, it is felt by all of the leadership team that the teams should be renamed as The Partick Thistle Youth Academy.
This is of course a similar decision to that taken when Thistle Weir Ladies FC changed name to Partick Thistle Women’s FC in January 2019, and so precedent exists for such a change.
It is our sincere hope that all can understand the rationale for this change as those inputting time, effort and financial resources today are completely aligned to Mr Weir’s vision of giving a strong foundation for the club. They understand the importance of the Academy’s role in developing players for the first team and also ultimately providing an income stream to reinvest. We will carry forward with that ethos, building on his foundations and wishes under the new name.
The Academy, and those individuals supporting it, continue to engage with the club board on the sustainability plan beyond this season and more information will follow when available.
For any enquiries or to find out about commercial partnership opportunities, please contact Craig Dargo: .
