Ross County have appointed Campbell Money to the newly-created role of football development director at Victoria Park.
Money brings vast experience to the position, having overseen the Scottish FA’s Club Academy Scotland programme for over a decade.
Prior to joining the association in 2009, former St Mirren goalkeeper Money had spells in management with Stranraer, Ayr United and Stenhousemuir.
In his new position at County, Money will be tasked with overseeing the Staggies’ academy, along with the transition of young players to the first team.
The 64-year-old will also be responsible for the development of the women’s first-team.
Money to take on ‘strategic’ role
Staggies chief executive Steven Ferguson says the club felt it was necessary to appoint a figurehead, in order to allow Gary Warren (academy manager), Gordon Duff (head of youth and academy operations) and Ryan Farquhar (head of children’s programme) to focus on their day-to-day tasks.
Ferguson said: “It’s always trying to stay ahead of the curve.
“We have recognised the brilliant job that Gary Warren, Gordon Duff and Ryan Farquhar have done in heading up the academy departments.
“We just felt for this next phase, we needed somebody who is a more more strategic, and more able to deal with the politics of it.
“Gary, Gordon and Ryan are all great on the pitch and have done a really good job – and they will continue to do that job.
“We were just looking for someone to come in and oversee more of a strategic point of view.
“It will not be the day-to-day stuff, but looking at more of the bigger ticket items. Those are continuing to grow and develop our academy, and also put more focus on what we do between academy and first team.
“Over the last few years there has also been a real shift in the girls and women’s game. We have recognised, as a Premiership football club, we needed to do more.
“We needed somebody who could be a driver of that. There’s so much work goes on at the football club already, and it’s too big a role to put on somebody in an existing role.”
Track record for developing players
County’s under-18s secured an impressive 1-0 triumph away to elite academy outfit Motherwell in the Scottish Youth Cup in midweek, with Torran Lambie’s penalty sending the Staggies through to the fourth round of the competition.
Ferguson, who twice played under Money during spells at Ayr and Stenhousemuir, is thrilled to have his former manager on board to oversee the academy’s next phase.
He added: “I have known Campbell for years – he signed me a few times as a player.
“He is a Scottish Cup winner as a player [with St Mirren], and has won the league and Challenge Cup as a manager [with Stranraer].
“He has a great track record for developing players.
“In the last 12 years he has headed up Club Academy Scotland, so we feel we have got the knowledge and experience of somebody that will come in and take a lot of that politics and strategy stuff away from guys that are day-to-day on the pitch.
“We have a huge duty of care to young football players in the Highlands – both boys and girls.
“We just felt we needed somebody with a knowledge and experience that come in and contribute right away.”
Successful week for Ross County Girls and Women
Ross County Girls and Women have also made great strides in recent months, having entered a team into the SWF pyramid for the first time this season.
They secured a double silverware triumph last weekend, with the senior team winning the Highlands and Islands league title and the under-18s lifting the North League Cup.
The club had further cause for celebration earlier this week, with Keira Syrjanen earning her first cap for Scotland Women’s U17s in a 2-0 victory over Iceland.
Ferguson says the Staggies are intent on continuing to progress, adding: “There has been some great work from Iain MacIver, and his group of volunteers.
“We just recognised we needed to add a bit of professionalism from the football club’s point of view.
“We will start from the women’s first team. We will work with that group to give younger girls that carrot that there’s a senior team, which allows them to represent Ross County if they continue to develop and stick in.”
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