Craig Mulholland named Scottish FA's new chief football officer

Former Rangers Academy Director and Nottingham Forest development chief returns to Hampden to lead Scotland's football strategy ahead of 2026 World Cup

The Scottish FA has confirmed the appointment of Craig Mulholland as Chief Football Officer, bringing the 56-year-old back to Hampden Park after a career that has taken in nine years at Rangers and three at Nottingham Forest.

Mulholland, who has been serving his notice period at the City Ground, will join the governing body this summer and take responsibility for football development and performance across all levels of the Scottish game - from elite international football to grassroots participation.

The appointment fills the vacancy left by Andy Gould, who departed after more than 30 years with the Scottish FA to take up a new role with FIFA.

A career built on developing talent

Mulholland’s most prominent role in Scottish football came during nine years as Academy Director at Rangers, where he oversaw a talent pathway that produced current Scotland internationals Billy Gilmour, Liam Kelly and Nathan Patterson.

In 2023, he moved to Nottingham Forest as Head of Football Development and Talent Management. During his time at the City Ground, Forest achieved their highest-ever Premier League finish and reached the semi-final of a European competition for the first time in over 40 years on the men’s side, while the women’s team were promoted to WSL2 for the first time in the club’s history.

Second spell at Hampden

This is not Mulholland’s first stint with the governing body. He began his career in football administration as a Football Development Officer with the Scottish FA more than 20 years ago, progressing to Senior Youth Development Officer before his move into club football at Rangers. His return to Hampden represents a full-circle moment for him.

As CFO, Mulholland will sit on the Scottish FA’s Senior Executive Team and take strategic responsibility for elite performance alongside grassroots development - a dual remit that reflects the breadth of the challenge facing Scottish football as it looks to capitalise on Scotland qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

He also confirmed he will be working closely with men’s head coach Steve Clarke and women’s head coach Melissa Phillips as both national teams prepare for upcoming international fixtures.

Speaking on his appointment, Mulholland said: “I am delighted to be joining the Scottish FA at a critical time for the game in our country, which I care passionately about. We have the World Cup to look forward to, and that excitement brings the ideal opportunity to implement positive change throughout all areas of our game, building on the many strengths we have as a nation.

“I have loved my time working in the Premier League, where every day you are exposed to the world’s best players and coaches, but when I heard the desire and willingness from Mike, as President, and Ian, as CEO, to really implement an exciting period of growth and change here in Scotland, it was something I was excited about, delighted to accept, and privileged to be asked to lead.”

Scottish FA Chief Executive Ian Maxwell added: “We’re delighted to have Craig on board. He was the outstanding candidate from a thorough process. This is a critical role within the Scottish FA, and Scottish football in general, so we wanted to make sure that we took our time to find the right individual who can help drive improvements across the board.”