Scottish football clubs could lose 10% of their league prize money if they fail to give enough first-team action to young Scotland-eligible players under plans drawn up by the Scottish FA.
The proposals would require clubs across all four SPFL divisions to give under-21 players eligible to represent Scotland an average of at least 60 minutes per match over the course of a season.
Clubs which miss that target would have 10% deducted from the prize money awarded for their final league position.
The money would then be redistributed among clubs which met the youth-player target.
The proposed rules were presented to representatives of all 42 SPFL clubs at a Scottish FA conference called Made in Scotland? at the Old Course Hotel in St Andrews.
They will be put to votes at a Scottish FA general meeting in October and the SPFL annual general meeting in November.
If approved, the changes would come into force for the 2027/28 season.
The league target is one of three proposals designed to increase opportunities for young Scottish players.
Clubs competing in the Scottish Cup would also be required to start each match with at least two Scotland-eligible under-21 players. At least one of those players would have to remain on the pitch throughout the game.
The same rule is being proposed for the League Cup.
The Scottish FA has also said that an additional £1 million would be made available to clubs as an incentive to give more game time to eligible young players.
The governing body says the measures are needed following a sharp decline in opportunities for young Scottish footballers at Premiership level.
Scotland-eligible under-21 players recorded 18,706 minutes in the top flight last season, compared with 80,345 minutes in 2013.
They currently account for 4.1% of the minutes played in the Premiership – around half the European average of 8%.
The Scottish FA highlighted Denmark as an example of a comparable country providing considerably more opportunities, with under-21 players accounting for 15.3% of minutes in its Superliga.
The proposals also come after Scotland slipped to 18th in UEFA’s national association coefficient rankings.
Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell said clubs across Europe had demonstrated that playing younger footballers did not necessarily come at the expense of results.
He said the plans could strengthen individual clubs while also improving the supply of players available to the Scotland national team.
Chief football officer Craig Mulholland said: “The time for reviews is over: it’s time for action.”
The Scottish FA believes progress has already been made outside the Premiership following the introduction of its Co-operation System.
The system allows Scotland-eligible players aged between 16 and 21 to move more freely between a parent club and a lower-league partner, giving them access to senior football while allowing their original club to retain greater involvement in their development.
It has generated around 27,000 minutes of additional playing time for young players.
Under-21 minutes increased by 9.6% in the Championship last season, 3.5% in League One and 17.6% in League Two.
The full proposals have been published by the Scottish FA.