Hibs head coach David Gray, former manager Shaun Maloney and former player Scott Brown were among the latest group of talented Scottish coaches have achieved the prestigious, UEFA Pro-Licence status, following the conclusion of the two year course.
16 coaches completed the award with the Scottish FA, with the graduates receiving their award from Scottish FA President Mike Mulraney.
Over the course of the past 24 months, the candidates have completed a number of different modules, with face-to-face learning combined with independent study. The graduates also heard from high profile guest speakers, including Everton manager David Moyes and former Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche, while they also attended the 2024 Under-21 European Championships.
Craig Mulholland, Scottish FA Chief Football Officer, also completed his Pro Licence prior to beginning his role with the association earlier this summer, while Scotland Under-15 Head Coach Stephen Clarke graduated as did former Scotland skipper Scott Brown and former Scotland midfielder Charlie Adam.
Ritchie Wilson, Head of Coach Education & Development, Scottish FA, was full of praise for the candidates and their efforts in the programme: “For our graduates, this qualification represents the culmination of two years of hard work, commitment and continuous development, and we are proud to celebrate their achievement.
“Balancing the demands of a career in football alongside the requirements of the programme is no easy task, so every graduate should take great credit for the resilience they have shown.
“It has been a privilege to work with this group, to see them challenge themselves, share experiences and grow. We hope the programme has equipped them with the knowledge, confidence and connections to make a lasting impact in the game.
“It is fantastic to see so many of our graduates already making significant contributions across football, both in the UK and internationally. We look forward to following their continued success and seeing the positive influence they have on the game in the years ahead.”
Former Scotland midfielder Charlie Adam, now an academy coach at Burnley, also reflected on his time on the Pro-Licence: “It’s been a brilliant experience, I’ve met so many good people and been brought out of my comfort zone which is really important as a head coach. I think it helps you develop and grow.
“We’ve had a lot of good interaction with different coaches, head coaches and sporting directors and it’s been a great learning curve for me over the last two years.
“I thought the talk from Ange Postecoglou in Nyon was very good and obviously Jose Mourinho spoke on Zoom which was another fantastic experience.
“A lot of hard work has gone into it and I think if you get that opportunity and the reward of becoming a Pro-Licence coach I think it’s a real honour and achievement.
“In terms of myself, I think I’ve had a brilliant experience over the past few years. Obviously I retired at 36 and I’ve had four years of coaching and I’ve had different roles and responsibilities over that time, working at Fleetwood Town, Burnley and Everton.
“I’ve amassed a lot of experiences in the four years and I think there’s an opportunity to grow and this course has definitely helped with that. I think the dream for me again is to be a head coach and that’s what I want to do.
“This course has given me belief that I can do it and speaking to the head coaches that are on the course has really gave me that drive to become a head coach again and that opportunity hopefully maybe will come in the future but I’m just very happy in the role I’m in just now at Burnley, working with a lot of talented young players.”
The full list of graduates is listed below: Adam Asghar, Steven Naismith, Shaun Maloney, Ceri Bowley, Scott Brown, Cameron Campbell, Craig Clark, Stephen Clarke, Paul Cowie, Kris Doolan, David Gray, David Haley, Jonny Hayes, Craig Mulholland, Ferran Sibila Pont and Colin Stewart.
