Kean joined The Hibees back in November 2021, heading up our Academy system. The 54-year-old brought with him a well-polished CV in both playing and coaching capacities as well as an impressive track-record of developing young footballing talent.
After quickly assessing his surroundings, Steve has got to work on his mission to make Hibernian FC ‘the best academy in Scotland’, he explains:
“It has been a fantastic two-and-a-half months so far here at Hibs. I have been really impressed with all the squads here from the pre-academy, junior academy and then all the way up to the boys who are in full time – we’ve got a talented group of lads here.
“There is a big set up here, with a lot of staff both full-time and part-time staff in the evenings too.
“I’ve assessed everything, so now there are a few plans in place to expand and develop which Ben Kensell and the Chairman have backed us on. I wouldn’t say there are improvements to be made – it is more expanding on the good practice that was already here before me.
“What we are trying to do here is, we are trying to make the Hibs academy the best there is in Scotland.”
A fundamental factor in taking the academy to the next level is the introduction of a new squad for next season, the Development Squad. Kean explains:
“We are looking into adding another age group in, so below the First Team but older than the U18.
“This will be the Development Team which will be a group of lads who are aspiring to be in the First Team but aren’t quite there yet.
“The team will compete in a lot of matches in England, against teams from the English U23 system, to help try and bridge the gap between U18 football and First Team football, which I have said from day one is a huge jump."
The Development Team will still play some fixtures in Scotland, whilst also travelling across the border to player English teams from the U23s system. Steve insists that exposing, players to a new environment, different styles of play and technical abilities will help the development of players going forward and ultimately prepare them for First Team football.
“It has been a big financial commitment from the club because it is not cheap to travel down to England for these types of matches. Logistically it is a big job so it is great to see the club backing that.
“At the other end, the rewards are huge. To play against that level of player, will really help stretch our lads, taking them outside of their comfort zone.
“We want to be involved against high-profile teams, your likes of Newcastle, Liverpool, Brentford etc and play against opposition that has highly technical, quality players.
"We want our players to be tested at a higher level, to be exposed to a different style of football so we can see exactly where our players are in terms of their development.
"I think the players will really benefit individually from playing in these types of fixtures and then collectively we will see those benefits as a club.
“Ultimately the focus is preparing them for First Team football and preparing them as well as we can for when they run out on Easter Road for their First Team debut.”
