Graeme Mathie has been appointed to a senior leadership role at the Scottish FA. The 43-year-old former Hibernian sporting director will take up the post of Head of Football Strategy, Operations & Performance, reporting directly to Chief Football Officer Craig Mulholland.
Mulholland described the move as an important one for the association. "Graeme is an important appointment for us, and we’re delighted to be adding him to the football leadership team," he said.
Mathie's new remit is both operational and strategic. He will lead work across football strategy, national team operations, administration, data insights, innovation, and performance analysis. A core part of his role will involve helping to create and implement a new overarching football strategy for Scotland, covering areas from coach education to elite pathways for men's and women's football. This strategy is expected to be finalized and presented to the Scottish FA board for approval in the coming months.
Mathie’s club background
Mathie brings extensive club experience to the national body. He joined Hibernian in August 2014 as head of player identification and recruitment, later becoming the club's first-ever sporting director in October 2019. He left Easter Road in September 2021 and moved to Ayr United three months later, where he served as Managing Director until this appointment.
During his tenure at Ayr United, Mathie was instrumental in several key projects. Ayr United released a statement thanking Mathie for his "tremendous commitment" and "hard work and dedication" during his time at Somerset Park, where he was heavily involved in stadium redevelopment and training ground projects. The club highlighted his role in securing planning permission for a new training facility and in driving forward the redevelopment of the stadium's north terrace.
Mathie, a former player for clubs including Ayr United and Motherwell, expressed his enthusiasm for the new challenge. "I’m delighted to be joining the Scottish FA at what feels like an exciting time for the game," he said. "I’ve always had a genuine desire to see the game in this country become the best version of itself that it can be."
The appointment comes as Hibernian, the club where Mathie spent seven years, currently sits 10th in the Premiership with seven points from seven matches. Their recent form shows they have conceded a goal every 63 minutes on average this season, while their attacking output has seen them score every 105 minutes. Their next test is an away trip to face Dundee United, who are eighth, and fans can check the full schedule on the club's fixtures page. Mathie will now work with Mulholland and a new football leadership team to shape the strategic direction of the game across Scotland.
Background and full detail: thenational.scot
