Aberdeen have appointed Stuart Glennie as the club’s new youth academy director.
Glennie says it is “an honour” to be appointed to the role and insists he will be relentless in the pursuit of taking through top talent with the Dons.
He re-joined the Dons in the summer of 2023 as head of academy coaching.
Glennie had previously worked as the performance coach for the Scottish FA Performance School at Hazlehead Academy for 11 years.
Currently in the process of completing his UEFA Pro Licence, Glennie has coached across various Scotland men’s youth national teams in recent years.
In 2022 Glennie took charge of the Under-16 and the newly-created Scotland Under-15 sides.
Glennie said: “It’s a real honour for me to be appointed as AFC youth academy director.
“As a lifelong fan of the club I understand the importance and have a real passion for developing young players.
“We’re fortunate to have one of the best academies in the country.
“And I am going to be relentless in the club’s pursuit to be the best developer of young talent.
“I look forward to building on the fantastic work already achieved and pushing forward to maintain the pathway to the first team, helping to fulfil our wider footballing ambitions.”
Glennie the ‘outstanding candidate’
A former community coach with Aberdeen, Glennie was co-manager of Highland League side Deveronvale FC for two and a half years.
During a playing career he spent six years at Forfar Athletic.
Director of football Steven Gunn said: “Since his arrival last summer as head of academy coaching, Stuart has made significant strides in the review and development of the coaching curriculum at the club.
“He has proven himself the outstanding candidate to lead the academy forward.
“The academy has continued to perform strongly from a performance perspective, with the under-18s reaching the Youth Cup final and having an opportunity to win their Youth League.
“The under-16s also going for a league title whilst both they and the under-13s have national cup finals to look forward too.
“Of course, the success of the Academy will continue to be judged on the progress of players to the first team.
“And the focus on individual development that has been a hallmark of Stuart’s success as a coach and player developer until now, we expect will add significant value to our pathway now and in the future.”
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