[media-credit name=”© Liam McFadden | Scotzine” align=”alignleft” width=”308″]
[/media-credit]After overseeing another league and cup double for Celtic’s Under-19 youth side, Kennedy was hopeful for future youth development not only at Celtic, but for the game in general.
Despite calls for the return of the reserve league, the powers-that-be decided upon an under-20 league. Kennedy commented on the new development: “I think that if finances were better I would say [for a return of the reserve league], you know I would think looking back ten-fifteen years ago when the old reserve league was in place and you had an under-18s and an under-16s then there was that stepping stone all the way through.
“I think obviously under-20s will certainly bridge the gap. I think the under 20s will be similar to the reserve league in some respects, so in that way yes I think it will bridge the gap and I think it will give the younger players more experience and they will be playing against more experienced players and the guys that need match fitness from the first team.”
However the former Celtic defender sounded a warning that the younger players should not be left by the wayside, as clubs focus on the new league setup.
Kennedy added: “We need to make sure that the 17-year-olds don’t falter because of that they need to get plenty of game time as well.
“As everything theres pros and cons. I can see exactly where they are coming from. The decisions made so we it and we will go with it and back it and we will put our players in the squads we feel will be the right stage for their development.”
