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 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.
Speaking to Hearts TV, Shelley 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."
Andrew 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."
Both Shelley and Andrew spoke to Hearts TV to outline this new direction, with the interview available to watch for free on our YouTube channel.
