Billy is raring to go again
Stark thrilled to be back with Scots
St Mirren legend Billy Stark has been confirmed as the Scottish FA’s new national youth team coach.
Stark will officially succeed Donald Park on July 1, and will primarily take charge of the Under-19s in addition to his involvement in the Performance department’s coach education programmes.
A vastly experienced and widelyrespected figure within the Scottish game, Stark was most recently in charge of Lowland League side East Kilbride but previously spent six years with the Scottish FA as Under- 21 head coach before stepping down in November 2014.
After sealing his return to Hampden, he said: “I’m delighted to be back. It was a bit out of the blue but I am really appreciative of the opportunity and grateful to Malky Mackay.
“I’m looking forward to taking the Under-19s and involving myself with the other work carried out by the Performance department.
“Donald did a great job and it’s my hope to pick up where he left off.
“I feel like I’m a better coach now than I ever was. Experience does that for you and I want to use what I’ve learned in a productive way.
“I think it’s important to say that the club’s work hard to develop the players and there is a lot of excellent work being done.
“What I – and we – have to do is make sure we give the boys a good experience when they join up with the international team.
“It always filled me with pride to see younger players I’d worked with go on to achieve full honours with the national team – like Leigh Griffiths, who was in my first Under-19 squad.”
The 61-year-old is delighted to be part of a team that includes Scottish FA performance director Malky Mackay and fellow national youth team coaches Brian McLaughlin and Scot Gemmill.
He added: “Brian and Malky were players at Celtic when I was assistant manager to Tommy, then I signed Brian for St Johnstone.
“Brian does a super job with the Under-17s and, having known him as a young player, it comes as no surprise because I always thought he was an intelligent player who would make a good coach if he could find a way of sharing his knowledge.
“Malky’s a doer. He makes things happen and he’s in a hurry to improve Scottish football, which I really admire.
“He’s a people person and I think we can see the benefits of that with the improved relationships with the clubs.
“I also remember getting Scot started with the Scottish FA initially. I met him up at Stirling Albion when I was watching a youth game.
“It was the second or third time I’d seen him.
“He was such a football obsessive that he’d rented a flat and was taking in as many games as he could, so I made sure to get him involved in the setup and the rest is history.”
And SFA chief Mackay was pleased to be able to add a coach of Stark’s calibre to his staff and explained the thinking behind the decision.
He said: “With Donald Park’s decision to step down, obviously we were facing up to losing someone who has real experience in the game and is widely respected.
“I’m delighted that we’ve managed to acquire the services of Billy Stark who, I believe, is one of the best coach educators in the country.
“His vast experience as a manager, assistant manager and a coach educator will be a real asset to us and I am delighted to welcome him back to the Scottish FA.”