Walsall name Stewart Mairs as head of football | OneFootball

Walsall have appointed former DC United technical director Stewart Mairs as head of football ahead of next season. The role was created to support a yet-to-be-named head coach.

The club said in a statement that Mairs will oversee day-to-day football operations across the men’s first team, academy, recruitment, medical and performance. He will join the executive team, reporting to CEO Ben Sadler, while Trivela chief sporting officer Matt Jordan continues to support the board and head of football from a strategic perspective at the group ownership level.

He most recently spent 14 months as director of football at National League North side AFC Fylde, leaving last month. Before that he was at DC United from 2016 to 2023, following three years with the United States Women’s National Team as a performance analyst.

Alongside his DC United role, the 45-year-old was general manager of Loudoun United from 2021 to 2023. He also worked with Wayne Rooney and Christian Benteke at the MLS club.

His career began as a performance analyst at Al Jazira in Abu Dhabi from 2004 to 2007, then an 11-year spell at data firm Prozone Sports.

Mairs described a thorough process and said he was excited to join, stressing clear objectives and early work on key priorities to finish this season strongly and build for next year. He believes there is a solid foundation and that he can add value across departments.

Walsall have yet to name a new head coach, with Darren Byfield in interim charge until the end of the season. He was unbeaten in his first five games, two wins and three draws, then suffered back-to-back League Two defeats, including a 4-0 home loss to Cheltenham Town on Saturday.

Source: ExpressAndStar.com