Final word on this, as I don’t want to ruin Archie’s dinner.
Clubs will sign a player during close season, as soon they register that contract with the SFA, and he appears in the system as your player, it becomes active. It’s irrelevant if you have a clause in saying that you will not pay them until the season starts. By the letter of the law you should be paying him from the first day of the contract. I realise this is not the done deal in lower level football, however it is the correct legal procedure.
would you sign an employment contract at work with the conditions mentioned by Archie?