Adam Shaw appointed head of International Academy

South Shields FC is delighted to announce the appointment of Adam Shaw as head of International Academy.

Shaw has spent recent months with the club on a consultancy basis, supporting sporting director Lee Picton with the inception of the International Academy, which is due to welcome its first intake of students in September.

He will now be tasked with overseeing the off-field operational delivery of the programme and play a major part in its future strategic development, with further cohorts of students set to arrive in January and September 2024.

Shaw is vastly experienced in similar positions, having most recently held the role of Academy operations manager at major Scottish club Rangers.

Prior to his role at Rangers, Shaw worked for the EFL, tasked with overseeing audits and providing operational management support to clubs throughout the Championship, League One and League Two.

South Shields FC sporting director Lee Picton said: “Working with Adam over the last few months has been a very enjoyable experience.

“His work ethic, innovation and professionalism were massively evident from the outset and he has demonstrated that he has all the capabilities required to help us extract the maximum potential from this programme for both the club and the players who access it.

“From a personal perspective, seeing the International Academy programme come to fruition after a full year of planning and preparation in collaboration with the University of Sunderland fills me with a huge amount of excitement, and we can’t wait to welcome the players to the club in the coming weeks, and provide them with a truly life-changing experience.”

South Shields FC head of International Academy Adam Shaw said: “It was paramount, following my time at Rangers, that my next move provided an opportunity to harness all that I have learned thus far, alongside additional responsibilities and the chance to build upon the skill sets I have already acquired.

“It is without doubt that South Shields FC is made up of fantastic people with a common purpose and a drive to maximise the club’s potential.

“The club has an exciting strategy to achieve ambitious plans and therefore I feel this is absolutely the right place for me to be moving forward.

“The International Academy is a hugely exciting project which will provide the club with several critical outputs aligned to the aforementioned strategy. To be given the responsibility to oversee that is an honour, and an opportunity I am thrilled to accept and excited to drive forward.”