SFSA Management Team
Our structure
The Scottish Football Supporters Association was established in April 2015. We are a social enterprise and a registered Community Interest Company.
Over the past decade we have operated with an Advisory Board of amazing volunteers who have helped us drive change in Scottish football. Each Director has ordinarily served for a two-year period . We have also in the past recruited additional Board volunteers from our membership. This will be something that the new Advisory Board will move to facilitate again. We thank everyone who has contributed to make the organisation a success over the past 10 years.
September 2025
A new Advisory Board for a new era
We are delighted to announce the first members of our new Advisory Board, who will be charged with driving the organisation forward.
John MacLean – finance & club governance
John is a qualified chartered accountant. He has had a long career in professional advisory, corporate finance, property, banking and latterly, insolvency. He is currently a self-employed consultant, working largely with distressed property loans. Some years ago he was bank manager to several Scottish football clubs, most of which were no strangers to the very thin line between solvency and insolvency. This experience has fuelled an ongoing fascination with football finances.
He has a strong interest in football youth development, drawn largely from his younger son’s recent experience of youth football, including a couple of spells in the Academy system. That experience highlighted what he considers opportunities missed in developing young Scottish talent. He is a Celtic and Scotland supporter.
Professor Scott Brady – commercial & campaigns
Scott formed SB Global HR and Legal LLP. The global legal advisory and support service has secured contracts in its first year of operation and now works on investigative projects in Denmark, Belgium, Singapore, Manilla, London and South America. Ecos limited continues to operate as a separate successful legal entity.
In January 2022 Scott was appointed Professor in Practice at the University of Dundee. Scott was also appointed to the Board of the School of Business at the University. Scott has recently resigned this position to allow for volunteering opportunities. He has been a passionate volunteer for the SFSA around the area of Community Ownership these past few years. He is a Dundee United fan.
David McPherson – grassroots & player pathways
Dave needs little introduction to football fans in Scotland. With 27 caps for the Scotland National team and a hall of fame player at both Rangers and Heart of Midlothian. He is a passionate advocate for Grassroots football and for player education. He brings a wealth of experience of the senior game and will be a huge addition to our team.
Alan Ramsay – acting CEO, Board and governance
Alan is a qualified Accountant with a wide business experience that includes Board positions at many high profile international organisations including time spent as a CFO and CEO. He has been a SFSA member since 2015 and spent several years supporting the organisation through commercial partnerships. He is in the process of relocating back to Scotland.
He is a Hibernian supporter and a member of the Tartan Army.
Iain Emerson – Tartan Army & campaigns
The founder of the Famous Tartan Army Magazine and a member of the SFSA since 2016. Iain is a social worker in his day job with special responsibilities for young people. He has driven the Scotland games free on TV campaign and is a key player in the current Billy Bremner stature fundraising activity. It goes without saying that he is a dedicated Scotland supporter.
Alexander Gibb – social media & campaigns
A football player at The University of Stirling when he is studying law. Alexander has been a key member of our Engine Room and is the link between this essential part of the organisation and the Board. He is a Queens Park fan. He is on the Management Committee of Kippen FC who play in the Forth & Endrick League
Mhairi McAllister – girls and women’s game
A St.Mirren fan who is passionate about girls playing football and a keen observer of the women’s game. Mhairi is currently studying at University in Glasgow.
Supported by our Founders and Consultants
Hazel Stewart – campaigns
Hazel Stewart is an Hamilton Accies fan at heart and a Scotland supporter through and through since her early teens.
In her spare time, Hazel has become a familiar name in Famous Tartan Army Magazine.
Her stories aren’t about tactics or formations, they are about the moments that bind supporters and players together.
Her brief appearances on BBC radio and co-presenter on the “No Scotland, No Party” podcast during Scotland‘s international games bring the voice of the ordinary fan into wider football conversations, ensuring the Tartan Army is part of the narrative, not just the background noise.
Hazel amplifies the Tartan Army’s spirit and her voice ensures that Scottish football is remembered not just for its results, but for its people, its passion, and its stories.
Scottish born Hazel lives in England and works full time as a senior compliance manager in London.
Simon Barrow – consultant on policy issues
Simon is a public policy specialist, widely published author, independent academic and journalist. For some 20 years he was co-director and director of the think-tank Ekklesia, which focussed on the intersection of beliefs, ethics and public life. He co-founded SFSA in 2015, and has been a Dumbarton FC supporter for 56 years and was an associate director and media officer for the club from 2018-2020. He also follows the national team.
Crawford Boyd – finances and SFSA governance
An avid season ticket holder at Ibrox, Crawford is (at least) a third generation Rangers supporter: his family hails from Govan and he has early memories of walking to the match with his grandfather and father and brother to cheer on the Teddy Bears. In professional life, Crawford is a Lloyd’s of London corporate insurance underwriter and a member of the prestigious Faculty of Underwriters. He is a law graduate and operates his own Managing General Agency in Edinburgh’s West End.
Paul Goodwin – community ownership & campaigns
Co-founder of SFSA with Simon Barrow, Paul has a long and varied marketing and sponsorship career behind him. He first got involved in fans affairs when he led the ‘Saving the Albion’ campaign which successfully delivered Community Ownership to the club. He is author of Our Game, Our Clubs (Luath Press, 2025) a guide to community ownership. He is a Partick Thistle fan who also loves Stirling Albion.
Board Legal Advisor Arveen Arabshahi, Davidson Chalmers Stewart
Board Management Jack Anderson, Edinburgh University
A list of some of our previous Advisiry Board members is below:
Maureen McGonigal, Alastair Dickson, Des McKeown, Cathy Jamieson, Alastair Dickson, Des McKeown, Dr. Andy McArthur, Dr.Tom Neal, Heather Dewar, Hannah Bardell, Gordon Profit, Fergus Reid, Stuart Murphy, Andy Smith, Alastair Blair, Alana Watson, Murray Napier and Paddy Hainey.
Get involved
If you share our belief that there is much that can be done to improve Scottish football, then you’ll want to talk to us and find out how you can get involved. We are particularly interested in those who are prepared to join our ‘Engine Room’ and help share the load of research, writing, video recording, social media management and campaigning, please get in touch here.