United Kingdom
Sporting Director at Chicago Fire FC, where we are rebuilding the football operation alongside a new era of infrastructure for the club. We recently opened the Endeavor Health Performance Center and are working toward a new downtown stadium scheduled to open in January 2028. Previously Director of Football at Blackburn Rovers, where we produced a record sale in Adam Wharton and finished in the club’s highest league position in a decade, Head of Player Development at FK Bodø/Glimt in Norway, where we won the Eliteserien title for the first time and competed in Europe, and Academy Manager / Head of Recruitment at Norwich City, where the players we recruited and developed generated over £100 million in transfer income for the club. Now at Chicago Fire FC the focus is the same. Building a structure that develops players, supports coaches and gives the club a platform to compete year after year. Over the past season we increased points by 77 percent, reached the playoffs for the first time in eight years, and led Major League Soccer in academy graduate minutes. Across all of those chapters the thread has been consistent around a belief that sustainable performance comes from system clarity. Clubs that build long-term success rarely stumble into it. They design systems that make good decisions more likely. In recruitment, in player development, and in how people are supported and challenged when the pressure rises. I write here about transfer strategy, squad building, academy development, and what the next chapter of football in North America may look like. I also speak at football conferences and leadership events about what it actually takes to build something that lasts. UEFA Pro Licence · FA Technical Directors Licence · BSc Sports Science
• Achieved highest League finish in 10 years and furthest progress in both EFL Cup and FA Cup for 15 years. • Reduced first team wage bill by 15% and achieved positive player trading income of over £35 million. • Delivered Club’s record sale (Adam Wharton), youngest ever player (Rory Finneran) and record win (8-0 vs Harrogate) in 149-year history. • Oversaw recruitment of the Head Coach (Jon Dahl Tomassson) to align with the club strategy - delivered 45%-win record. • Aligned practice across the first team and academy environments to ensure that internal player recruitment was core to how we operate. • Increased squad value by over 60% through contract management planning. • Rebuilt the recruitment department, with data at the centre of the process. • Increased budgeted income from broadcast, ticketing and prize money by over £3 million through on field success and playing style. • Increased player availability to over 91% (from 82%) for the 2022-23 season. Examples of players signed / developed with whilst in post at Blackburn Rovers: - Adam Wharton (England and Crystal Palace) - Sammie Szmodics (Ireland and Ipswich Town) - Sondre Tronstad (Norway and Blackburn Rovers) - Igor Tyson (England/Poland U17 and Blackburn Rovers)
Remit: To create the best development environment in Norway. • Part of the Club’s senior management team leading club to winning back to back league titles and competing in the Champions League for the first time in club’s history. • Worked with the focus on club culture, based on the club’s mission statement of “making North Norwegians proud”. • Introduced strategic operation across the football department to assessing performance. • Oversaw development of the academy to have highest operational ranking in NTF classification process. • Led on Head Coach succession planning strategy and operation. • Club increased league minutes played from players under the age of 21 from 9% to 27% by clear succession planning to deliver a strategy of home-grown players.
Remit: To build a programme capable of identifying footballers who have the potential to play for Norwich City's first team and international football. • Introduced sustainable regional high-performance centres. • Helped recruit and develop players who have generated over £100 million transfer profit for the club. • Developed a Talent ID programme throughout the UK and Europe. • Led project to research and write UK & European recruitment strategy Examples of players recruited whilst in post: - Jonathan Rowe (Marseille and England U21) - Adam Idah (Celtic and Ireland) - Kristian Hlynsson (Ajax and Iceland) - Ben Godfrey (Atalanta and England) - Jamal Lewis (Sao Paolo and Northern Ireland) - Max Aarons (AFC Bournemouth and England U21) - Abu Kamara (Hull City and England U20)
Remit: To produce home grown footballers who can play for Norwich City's first team and/or whom the Club can achieve profits through player trading • Managed category one academy and multi-disciplinary leadership team. • Oversaw all team coaches and support staff for squads from U9 to U23. • Helped recruit and develop players who have generated over £100 million transfer profit for the club. • Introduced staff development model which helped develop technical staff to go on and coach / manage in Premier League and internationally. • Oversaw the development of the overall club coaching philosophy to complement the club’s player recruitment metrics. • Part of team that increased % of minutes played in the first team by academy graduates from 0.8% to 8.2% • Managed audit process, retention of Category One status and top ten grading from auditors • Developed long-term performance plan with clear KPI's for all departments and aligned coaching, sports science and talent ID philosophies • Set-up partnership with UEA to develop elite mindset programme and established relationship with Langley School for full-time schools programme Transfer Fees Received for academy graduates: Angus Gunn (Manchester City and Southampton), Jed Steer (Aston Villa), Cameron McGeehan (Luton Town), Declan Rudd (Preston North End), Harry Toffolo (Huddersfield), Jacob Murphy (Newcastle United), Josh Murphy (Cardiff City), Ben Godfrey (Everton), Jamal Lewis (Newcastle United).
Remit: To produce home grown footballers who can play for Luton Town’s first team and/or whom the Club can reach its revenue targets through player trading. • Rebuilt club’s youth development programme after administration. • Led communication to Premier League, EFL and FA to protect player contracts after relegation from EFL. • Audit recognised the programme as one of the strongest in terms of players and staff quality outside of the Premier League. • Delivered in depth analysis of club’s academy and potential growth strategy. • Helped develop staff who have gone on to lead at other top academies in the UK. Examples of players developed and recruited whilst in post at Luton Town: - Cauley Woodrow (Luton Town and England U21) - James Justin (Leicester City and England) - Jay Dasilva (Coventry City and England U21) - Max Aarons / Jamal Lewis (Norwich City) - Charlie Patino (Deportivo and England U21)
• Implemented a recruitment programme throughout Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Cambridgeshire. • Recruited and managed 12 PT scouts, and built a player database with over 2,000 unique entries. • In 18 months 32 players were signed, by the Academy of which 15 went on to receive professional contracts.