St Johnstone have appointed Paul McDonald as their new head of academy.
Alistair Stevenson is stepping down from the role later this month, at which point his replacement will begin work.
McDonald was Kilmarnock’s head of community and then academy director for almost a decade.
More recently, he was director of the Thistle Weir Youth Academy at Partick Thistle and an assistant manager for the first team.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to have been appointed head of the academy,” said McDonald. “And excited to build on the fantastic work of Alistair over a huge number of years.
“Developing young players is a real passion of mine and is the area I feel strongest in.
“I have 25 years of experience to bring to St Johnstone and, hopefully, I can take us to a higher level.
“This club has a proud history of producing talented young players. Supporters want to see youngsters coming through the academy and playing in the first team.
“That is the highest point on our agenda.”
Stevenson handover
Stevenson, set to be inducted into the St Johnstone Hall of Fame, will retain a part-time club co-ordinator and liaison officer role at McDiarmid Park.
McDonald added: “There is a lot of preparation for any job you go into.
“I’ll use the next few weeks to familiarise myself with the club and look for any potential gaps we need to fill.
“Of course, I’ll lean on Alistair. That will be massive.
“He is a fantastic person and I’m trying to make this transition easy for him too.
“Alistair has been at this football club for such a long time, and I’ll lean on him heavily over the next period of time.”
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