Stephen Wright Appointed Head of Youth Development

Changes within DAFC's Youth system.

Stephen Wright Appointed Head of Youth Development

Today sees a number of changes within Dunfermline Athletic's Youth Initiative Programme. Hamish French has decided to step down as Head of Youth with immediate affect. Stephen Wright has now been appointed to that position.

Stephen was previously working with Jim McIntyre as First Team Coach. Stephen joined the club after Jim McIntyre was appointed Manager in January 2008. Prior to his appointment he worked at Murray Park for Rangers as an Academy Coach.

Craig McWhirter, Director of Youth Development, wrote:
"It has been a pleasure working with Hamish and everyone wishes him well for the future. The Head of Youth is a demanding and critical role at the Club and Hamish feels he has struggled to cope with all the demands of this role and to continue in a hands-on coaching role at the Under 19's. Hopefully, Hamish will continue to operate within a coaching capacity at the Club and assist Stephen in a transitional phase as he gets to grips with his new role.

The appointment of Stephen as Head of Youth should send out a sign that the Club intends to significantly strengthen the Youth Programme. It is not simply a re-shuffle of coaching staff, it is a strategic appointment. Stephen has had great experience working within the Youth programme at Rangers, with very well respected people such as George Adams, and is held in very high regard. He will bring a lot of discipline, structure and focus to the Programme and will provide a much smoother transition from the senior Youth squads to the Reserves and First Team setups.

The Club has recently been given provisional acceptance to next year's Performance league after an audit from the SFA at the end of April. The criteria are now being extended to include mandatory Under 11's and 12's so additional support and coaching staff will be recruited to ensure that there is plenty of cover within the Programme. Stephen, will be speaking with all coaches and conducting a full review of the current setup before making any changes. There is a lot of work to be done, but I am convinced that Stephen will be a tremendous appointment for many years to come and will succeed in providing the Club with a strong stream of young talent."

Stephen Wright said, "I'm delighted to be taking up the role. It's an honour to be given such an important role at the club."

Hamish French first joined the club as a player 18 years ago when Jocky Scott paid Dundee United £150,000 for his signature in 1991. Hamish notched up 300 appearances scoring 64 goals during his 9 years as a player for Dunfermline. Having made his final appearance in May 2000 he took up the role as Youth Coach, before moving to Community Manager, then to Head of Youth Development.

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