SFA can learn from Swedish football where they invest in future and blood young players early

That's the view of former Clyde and Dumbarton coach Tony McNally, 33, who now works as manager at Swedish division two club Ytterhogdal.

Heavy investment in infrastructure at clubs around the country is one thing. The fact that a club - born from a village only populated by 530 people - boasts their own 3G dome, gym hall and indoor swimming pool is enviable.

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Ytterhogdal also owns their own outdoor pitches and analysis studios. Facilities that even the biggest of clubs around the globe would kill for.

"The club owns it all which is remarkable for such a small club," McNally said. "Then there are 15 apartments owned by the club. Myself, my assistant manager and my physio all stay in a big lake house with five bedrooms between the three of us. It's incredible."

Reward, perhaps, for McNally's willingness to up-sticks and move away from his life in Glasgow and his eight-year-old son, Riley. Football, though, is a results-driven business and McNally knows everything can change quickly.

After all, he has an incredibly tough job on his hands in the fourth tier of Swedish football. "I do everything at the club," McNally said. "I'm sporting director, manager, coach, physio, a bit of everything. I've had to deal with signing a whole new squad because we only had two players from last season. It's a total overhaul as everyone was on an amateur contract last year.

"We're a very small club and we're punching above our weight. Five years ago the club was in division six and struggling to field a team. We went down the British route and shot through the leagues to division two. We finished second last season and got to the play-off final."

McNally has been working in Sweden

"The club is going in the right direction, we know where we are in the food chain and that we're essentially a development club. That suits me because my background is in development. Getting players into first-teams. I feel the time is right for me to step into a manager's role after an interim spell at Clyde.

"I was the assistant last year and had a really good season. The lifestyle is also very laidback and relaxed. It's just all felt right and, although it's a massive challenge, I thrive on that."

The Scottish FA are way behind, says McNally. Youth football in Sweden is lightyears ahead as the governing body over there have significant rules. No player can play in any club's academy before the age of 15.

First-team clubs in the upper echelons of the game are also punished for opting to use foreign players ahead of blooding their own youngsters. An initiative Scotland could implement.

"Scotland is way off the mark in terms of where we should be as a nation," McNally continued. "In Sweden, no player is allowed to join an academy until they're 15. They can play football at camps, play for three or four different teams and I think that's the difference. It's all regulated here. They play for schools and with friends and then by the time they're 15, they're allowed to play in the first-team.

"If they're good enough at 15 or 16, throw them in. They're not scared over in Sweden. Another thing the Swedish FA do is that every club from division one and above, every club's matchday squad must have 50 percent Swedish players. If they don't, the clubs get a fine. That's something maybe the SFA could look into.

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"The Swedish FA seems to do an awful lot of things right. The efficiency levels are a lot better and there's more freedom for the young ones to go and play football. They heavily invest in facilities, too, which is massive."

Given that Ytterhogdal are desperate for players, McNally hopes to make the most of his contacts book in Scotland. "We've got nine signed so far but I'm looking to form some relationships with the likes of St Mirren and Hearts to maybe bring over some reserve players on loan.

"I've spoken with Austin MacPhee at Hearts, Allan McManus and Gus MacPherson at St Mirren so I think we'll probably get one or two from both clubs. It'll be good for them as well as us because it'll give them life experience. That's what we're trying to do but I'm dealing with booking flights, sorting apartments, setting up bank accounts for the players and their tax forms. Then flying them over.

"We're coaching players to a Scottish Championship, League One level. Players who have played at Ytterhogdal have now signed for Ayr United and Clyde. Then again, we've had players on trial at QPR, Peterborough, Morecambe and Leyton Orient.

"They're at a good level obviously, so it shows we must be doing something right."

McNally has had to put together a team from scratch

McNally is smart enough to know that jobs in football management can be difficult to come by. He's just happy to be in one at the moment that he loves. It hasn't stopped him dreaming, however, of a big job down the line. Maybe even back home.

"I've just signed a two-year deal here so I've not thought about coming back to Scotland," he said. "That's not to say I wouldn't if the right job became available, where I'd definitely consider it. I'd certainly be open to it but it would have to be the right club at the right time. We'll see what the future brings.

"I want to be a manager at the top level, to be coaching at the highest level possible."