Craig Mulholland returns to the Scottish FA as chief football officer to lead football development, drawing on Premier League and Rangers academy experience
The Scottish FA has confirmed the appointment of Craig Mulholland as its new Chief Football Officer. After a spell at Nottingham Forest where he served as Head of Football Development and Talent Management, Mulholland will take responsibility for shaping a national approach to both grassroots and elite football.
His role on the Senior Executive Team is designed to unify strategy across men’s and women’s programmes and ensure long-term coherence across Scotland’s entire football landscape.
Mulholland succeeds Andy Gould, who has moved to a new role with FIFA after over three decades with the association.
The Scottish FA framed the appointment as a deliberate step to bring in a leader with experience in elite environments while also understanding the domestic development system. The association’s senior leadership signalled that this hire is aimed at accelerating improvement across youth development, coaching standards and performance pathways ahead of major international milestones.
Why Mulholland was chosen
The appointment followed a thorough recruitment process in which Mulholland emerged as the standout candidate. Ian Maxwell, the Scottish FA chief executive, highlighted the need for someone who could translate a broad vision into practical programmes across the country. The emphasis is on improving standards at every level, from volunteer-led local clubs to professional academies, and on linking those layers with clear talent pathways to produce better-ready players for national teams.
The association values Mulholland’s mix of domestic and Premier League experience. At Nottingham Forest he led work across both the men’s and women’s sides, overseeing talent structures while the men’s team achieved their highest-ever Premier League finish and reached a European semi-final for the first time in over forty years. On the women’s side, the club secured promotion to WSL2, evidence of his capability to develop performance systems in contrasting environments.
Career journey and Scottish roots
Mulholland’s return to Scotland is also a homecoming of sorts. He began his career at the Scottish FA more than twenty years ago as a Football Development Officer and progressed to Senior Youth Development Officer before moving into club roles. He then spent nine years with Rangers as Academy Director, leading an academy structure that produced current Scotland internationals such as Billy Gilmour, Liam Kelly and Nathan Patterson. That period at Rangers cemented his reputation for building effective youth programmes and preparing players for senior football.
Experience in elite environments
At Nottingham Forest, Mulholland was involved in aligning coaching, recruitment and performance practices across age groups and senior squads. The role required organisational alignment, strategic planning and an ability to connect short-term results with long-term development goals. The Scottish FA has signalled that such experience — operating amid high expectations and complex stakeholder networks — will be valuable when implementing national initiatives and raising standards across club and national setups.
Mandate, priorities and early outlook
In his new role, Mulholland will lead on creating and delivering the Scottish FA’s vision for both development and performance. The brief covers strengthening participation, improving coaching pathways and ensuring elite environments are supported to produce international-level talent. The association wants to exploit upcoming global events as opportunities to generate enthusiasm for the game and to accelerate structural changes that will have lasting impact.
Mulholland described the position as a privilege and an exciting challenge. He said his time in the Premier League offered daily exposure to top players and coaches, but that he felt compelled to return to Scotland when he heard the ambition from the Scottish FA presidency and executive leadership, specifically mentioning Mike Mulraney and Ian Maxwell. He also extended best wishes to Steve and Melissa for the upcoming internationals and expressed eagerness to collaborate with the staff at the Scottish FA to deliver innovative, creative solutions across all levels of the game.
What to expect next
Practical steps are likely to include reviews of current development programmes, targeted investment in coaching and talent ID, and initiatives designed to tighten the link between local clubs and elite pathways. The Scottish FA has framed the appointment as the start of an ‘exciting period of growth and change’, with an expectation that new leadership will drive measurable improvement in player development, coach education and competitive outcomes for Scottish teams at all levels.
Conclusion
The hiring of Craig Mulholland marks a strategic move by the Scottish FA to combine domestic knowledge with recent Premier League experience. With a remit spanning grassroots participation to elite performance, he will be tasked with turning broad ambitions into actionable programmes that support the ambitions of players, coaches and clubs across Scotland. Observers will watch closely to see how his blend of academy pedigree and professional club experience translates into tangible progress for Scottish football.
