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Dumbarton FC have announced that two Celtic players will join the club under a cooperation agreement.
Goalkeeper Aidan Rice and midfielder Owen Hartington have joined the squad for the 2026/27 campaign under a Cooperation Agreement with the premiership champions.
The move will give the players more game time, and the ability to develop their skills.
Frank McKeown, manager of Dumbarton FC, said: “We have been in communication with Celtic and working on the details for a number of months.
“I am confident that this will be a beneficial partnership for both Dumbarton and Celtic.
“Both Aidan and Owen have been terrific additions to our squad and are learning every week in a competitive league two environment.
“My thanks goes to Chris McCart and everyone at Celtic, as well as those behind the scenes at Dumbarton, for their work to get the co-operation agreement in place.
“We’re looking forward to working with Celtic and their young players over the course of the season and supporting them in the next stage of their development.”
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This comes as the agreement was introduced last year after the 2024 Scottish FA’s Transition Report found that there was a lack of opportunities for younger players between the ages of 16 and 21 to play senior football.
It therefore allows players in this age bracket who are eligible for the Scotland National Team to move between their parent club and
partner club outside of transfer windows.