The Future of Scottish Football Debated at Soccerex European Forum

Soccerex has announced that key representatives from the Scottish FA will all be speaking on the ‘The Future of Scottish Football’ panel hosted by David Davies, at the Soccerex European Forum in Manchester, 10-11 April.

National Coach Gordon Strachan, Chief Executive Stewart Regan, Second Vice President Rod Petrie and Performance Director Mark Wotte will all discuss the Scottish FA’s modernisation plans and outline their vision for the future, relating to the recently published strategic plan,Scotland United.

Looking over the recent challenges as well as the future development of Scottish football, the panel will discuss and analyse the implementation and legacy of the Henry McLeish’s Review of Scottish Football. Published in 2010, the former Scottish First Minister laid out a clear vision for Scottish football with five key elements that needed to bed addressed: Performance, Strong Quality Growth, Governance of the Game, Better Financial Returns and League Reconstruction.

Scotland’s influential position on the global stage will also be discussed; as founding members of the International Football Association Board, the Scottish FA will continue to have a major influence on the laws of the game.

Gordon Strachan was appointed Scotland manager in January 2013. A member of Scotland’s Hall of Fame and having led Celtic into the last 16 of the Champions League as manager, Gordon will provide a unique insight into Scottish football. 

Stewart Regan was appointed chief executive of the Scottish FA in 2010 and was responsible for implementing the most far-reaching governance changes in the organisation’s history. Previously, Director of the Football League Championship and CEO of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Stewart, who is now Vice-Chairman of the UEFA Marketing Committee, is well versed in sporting administration.

Alongside Stewart at the Scottish FA is former Dutch U19 & U21 Manager, Mark Wotte, who, having coached numerous teams across Europe including Southampton FC, is now charged with implementing one of the McLeish Report’s key pillars as the Scottish FA’s first-ever Performance Director.

Rod Petrie has been involved with Hibernian Football Club since 1996, becoming chairman in 2004. He is currently Second Vice President of the Scottish FA, Chairman of the Professional Game Board in Scotland and a member of UEFA’s Players’ Status, Transfer and Match Agents Committee. He was responsible for turning Hibernian FC into one of the most financially stable clubs in the league and will be able to provide a first-hand account of the pressures of being a chairman in a challenging financial period in Scottish football.

This session will be part of the Forum’s industry leading conference programme which will once again tackle the key issues shaping European football. It will tackle a variety of topics, including fan engagement, discrimination and addiction, life after football, social media and football’s affect on a city. As well as a selection of special 1-2-1 sessions with the game’s biggest names, it will once again set the agenda for the European football industry.

For further information about this event please call +44 (0)208 987 5522 or visit www.soccerex.com/europe.