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9th October 2024
Dundee United are pleased to confirm the appointment of Scott Allison as our new Academy Director, who joins the club after a year-long spell as Nottingham Forest's Head of Youth Development Phase.
His arrival at Tannadice marks the beginning of a fresh era for our academy, as he leads the pursuit of sustainability and efficiency at Foundation Park, all whilst working towards the ultimate aim of producing as many players capable of representing the Terrors' first team as possible.
After finding his playing career curtailed prematurely due to recurring injuries, Allison began his coaching journey in 2002, working for numerous top-flight outfits such as Rangers, St Mirren and Partick Thistle.
The latter would extend an invitation to draw up a long-term Academy strategy as Head of Youth Development, thus beginning his fruitful nine-year stint in Maryhill.
Allison was a pivotal character in the Jags’ efforts to secure significant external funding for his overhauled youth set-up, one which would produce multiple players across various age groups who subsequently attained international recognition.
Immediate successes saw him promoted to Head of Coaching, a role which allowed him to lead the U18s side whilst also providing the first team with detailed analysis reports on Premiership opposition, and thereafter Academy Director.
During the 2018/19 campaign, Allison enjoyed two brief stints as caretaker Manager and was responsible for all activity below first-team level.
Having cleared a consistent pathway for talent to progress into senior football at Firhill, he embarked on a life-changing adventure with the Florida Elite Soccer Academy in September 2021, accepting the role of Director of Coaching.
An enlightening two years stateside followed, taking the reigns of the USL League Two men’s side, continuing his personal development with the completion of USSF Director of Coaching Licence and building relations with a host of club visits to elite-level European clubs.
Allison was then appointed as Nottingham Forest's Professional Development Phase Coach, tasked with nurturing the talents of some of the club’s hottest young prospects.
The 44-year-old has spent the last 12 months as Forest’s Head of Youth Development Phase, responsible for introducing innovative new working practices informed by extensive research and data analysis.
'A CLUB WITH A RICH TRADITION IN PLAYER DEVELOPMENT'
Upon the beginning of his Tayside chapter, Allison commented: "It's exciting to have joined a club with such a rich tradition in player development. My first few days have been excellent, I've really enjoyed getting to know the staff and having a look around the facilities at my disposal.
"The fundamental aim of any Academy is to develop players who will represent our first team - it's my job to look at the structures in place throughout the youth setup, identify areas for improvement and implement changes to ensure that happens as regularly as possible.
"I've been coaching for over 20 years now, and have enjoyed sampling a variety of working environments and cultures across the globe. I feel I am more rounded for those experiences and I want to bring all of my learnings together here to improve the day-to-day and long-term processes within the Academy."
OUR MAIN OBJECTIVE IS TO DEVELOP PLAYERS WHO REPRESENT OUR FIRST TEAM
Chief Executive, Luigi Capuano, added: "We're delighted to welcome Scott to the club - he has attained extensive coaching experience across the United Kingdom and the United States throughout his two decades in the industry thus far and we felt this would hugely benefit our young players.
"Looking ahead, it's a pivotal time for the progression of the Academy, and we're excited to see how Scott's working practices can re-energise and refresh the setup from top to bottom.
"During the recruitment process, we outlined the requirement for the chosen candidate to understand that our main objective is ultimately to develop players who represent our first team - Scott wholeheartedly buys into that philosophy."
