Ian Welsh
Chairman
Ian joined the Academy in 2006. He has extensive experience in the public, private and voluntary sectors in executive, non-executive and consultancy roles.
He is Chief Executive of LTCAS (Long Term Conditions Alliance Scotland) the umbrella body for health and disability charities in Scotland, and was formerly Director of UK Services for the Dublin head-quartered, international and not-for-profit Rehab Group, leading a family of charities working in care, supported employment, rehabilitation and training.
Prior to that he was Chief Executive of Momentum Scotland and Chair of the Scottish Advisory Committee of the Voluntary Sector National Training Organisation.
As Chief Executive of Kilmarnock Football Club, he led the club through a period of business and footballing success building a number of innovative community programmes.
Ian was briefly the MSP for Ayr, having been involved in local government for many years as a local elected member and as Leader of Kyle and Carrick District Council and then South Ayrshire Council. He was prominent throughout that period in defense of Prestwick Airport and served as a non-executive Director of the Airport and then in an executive capacity as Director of Human Resources and Public Affairs. Prior to this he was a Deputy Head Teacher in Auchinleck Academy.
He served on the Board of Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire for many years, chairing the Ayrshire Economic Forum, and as well as his role as Chair of Ayr United Football Academy, he occupies the same position with Prestwick Sports and Leisure, Ayr Gaiety Partnership and is a board member of Borderline Theatre Company
He is also a member of the Court of the University of the West of Scotland, where he chairs the Policy and Resources Committee.
Alan McGregor
Alan McGregor is Director of the Training and Employment Research Unit and Professor of Economic Development at the University of Glasgow. Alan sits on a number of Boards including Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Employability forum and is the Chair of the Economic Development Association for Scotland. Much of his work involves providing policy advice to governments and their agencies in the broad areas of trying to create employment and tackle worklessness. Alan is from Ayr and attended Heathfield Primary and Ayr Academy, and has been going to watch Ayr United since around 1954. Among his fondest memories are the 1-0 defeat of Rangers in 1956 when Ayr played a lot of the game with 10 men, some part of the game with 9 and eventually scored the winner through Willie Japp. Alan has been a member of the AUFA Board since its establishment.
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Graham Peterkin
Graham is an Independent Director on the Academy Board and a long standing Ayr United season ticket holder.
Prior to retiring from full-time employment as a solicitor he was formerly an Executive Director and Deputy Chief Executive with South Ayrshire Council. He is currently a Board Member of Ayr Gaiety Partnership Ltd and a Court Member of University of the West of Scotland.
Lachlan Cameron
Lachlan achieved Level 4 on the youth pathway in 2006 and during his time in Scotland has coached the Ayr United Girls U11’s, U13’s and has filled in when needed with the Academy 14’s, 15’s and 16’s with training and/or sports science.
Lachlan is passionate about football at all levels and is looking forward to continually progressing the Academy to the point where AUFA is the first choice of the most talented boys from the area to start their professional football careers.
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Donald Stewart
Donald Stewart represents Ayr College on the AUFA Board of Management. His attachment to football started as an eight year old watching Ayr United play Leicester City in 1973. Since then he became his BB’s top scorer – he was the goalkeeper – as well as a fervent supporter on the terraces. Now an award winning community artist as well as a published author and writer on things boxing and football related his warblings can be found on kicktalk.co.uk, scotzine, theawayend and ringsidereports in the USA.
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Phil White
He has a strong interest in football and cricket and, having been born in Tottenham, there are no surprises which team he grew up watching! Although English, he has now spent well over half his life in Scotland although this has had little or no effect on his accent! He is very excited to be on the Board of such a positive local initiative.
Brian McInroy
Brian is the link to South Ayrshire Council and is currently Head of Service and School Management. He started his career as a science teacher in a secondary school in Airdrie where he coached a boys’ school football team and did some part-time refereeing (badly). Born and bred in Ayrshire, Brian has helped in establishing a School of Football at Prestwick Academy and is committed to developing football as part of a general promotion of sports for all young people in South Ayrshire. Brian is also a Director of Mathieson House in Ayr and is Chairman of the Management Group of the Auld Kirk of Ayr.
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David Watson
David is an Independent Director on the Board.
He is a Chartered Accountant and in his business life occupied Financial Director and Chief Executive Roles across a wide range of businesses ranging in size from £0.5 million to £2 billion. In the latter years of his business career he developed an interest in organisational re structuring and also became involved in company start ups.
He has been a football fan all of his life, coached a local Boys Club team for 10 years and is passionate about the development of Youth Football in Scotland. He still enjoys playing 5 and 7 a sides on a regular basis, despite the impact of the ageing process!
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John Crawford
DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL
John returned to the Academy in 2009, to the post he previously held in 2007.
John has a long history of managing and coaching at various levels from the late 1970s onwards. He was coach of the Cumnock & District Primary Schools’ Select which won the Scottish Primary Cup in 1980. John also coached the very successful East Ayrshire B.C. in the early 1980s before joining Ayr United B.C. and managing their Under 15′s and 16′s.
During this time John signed Duncan George who was to become a future Ayr United player. John moved into Junior Football in 1984 with Whitletts Vics and was coach to the team when they won the Ayrshire District League in 1986. He then moved to Annbank United as manager and in 1987 they won the then Jackie Scarlett League Cup. Further spells as manager of Maybole, Kilwinning Rangers, Lugar Boswell Thistle and Cumnock Juniors provided John with valuable experience which he put to good use in 1994 when as manager of Largs Thistle they won the Scottish Junior Cup at Ibrox
Stadium by defeating Glenafton 1-0 in the final. John also won the Manager of the Year Award for Ayrshire Junior Football in 1994 after adding a league title to the Scottish Cup win.
John subsequently moved to Hurlford United for a ten year spell during which time the team enjoyed three promotions, a cup win and included a league title in 2008. During John’s tenure at Hurlford United they provided two players for Ayr United, namely, Chris Robertson and Ryan Caddis with Garry Tweedie moving to Elgin City.
John received a long service award (35 years) from the Scottish Schools’ Football Association in 2010 during which time his school team, Drongan Primary, won a Scottish Cup and three Ayrshire Cups. At
this time Stewart Kean, Ryan Stevenson and Kirk Broadfoot played for Drongan Primary, later playing with Ayr United, Hearts and Rangers respectively. During the current season 2010/2011, John held a coaching position with Ayr United’s successful Under 17 team who won the Scottish Football Youth League.
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