Andy Roxburgh

Andrew Roxburgh (born 5 August 1943) is a Scottish former football player and manager currently serving as an administrator. Roxburgh's entire professional playing career was spent in the Scottish Football League. After retiring as a player, he was appointed as the Scottish Football Association's first Director of Coaching. He achieved success with the national youth teams, winning the 1982 UEFA European Under-18 Football Championship. He spent many happy years as a senior Primary Teacher at Carolside School in Clarkston, Glasgow and was very much respected for his devotion to teaching.

Roxburgh was appointed Scotland manager in 1986 and achieved qualification for two major tournaments, the 1990 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 1992. He resigned as Scotland manager in 1993 after failing to qualify for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Roxburgh was appointed UEFA technical director in 1994 and held this position until accepting a role as sporting director for American club New York Red Bulls from 2012 to 2014.

He currently serves as a Technical Director with the Asian Football Confederation.

Playing career

Roxburgh attended Bellahouston Academy, where he was selected for the first team at just 15 years of age. He played for Glasgow Schools and was a schoolboy and youth internationalist. In 1961, he scored the only goal in a schoolboy international against England Schools at Celtic Park.

Scottish Football Association Roxburgh was appointed as the Scottish Football Association's first Director of Coaching in 1975. He led the player and coach development work in Scotland for over 18 years – coaches such as José Mourinho studied under Roxburgh and he also helped to develop talents such as Paul McStay.

This appointment meant that Roxburgh also coached the Scotland youth teams from Under-21 level down.

After the Scotland senior manager Jock Stein collapsed and died at the end of a 1–1 draw in a 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Wales, Alex Ferguson was appointed as the team manager and guided Scotland to the 1986 World Cup by winning a playoff against Australia. Scotland failed to progress beyond the group stage of the World Cup and Ferguson rejected the offer of staying on as Scotland manager afterwards. Roxburgh was subsequently named as the new Scotland manager on 16 July 1986, Roxburgh would remain in the role for more than seven years.

Scotland failed to qualify for UEFA Euro 1988, but Roxburgh then guided the team to qualification for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. Scotland defeated Argentina in a pre-tournament friendly, but were eliminated in the group stage with one win (against Sweden) and two losses.

The team then qualified for UEFA Euro 1992, the first time Scotland had qualified for a European championship finals. During his time at UEFA, Roxburgh set up the framework for the UEFA Convention on the Mutual Recognition of Coaching Qualifications, which now includes all 55 UEFA member associations.

Roxburgh also initiated the UEFA Grassroots Charter to stimulate the UEFA member associations to further invest in the basis of the game and to acknowledge the importance of healthy grassroots. chaired the JIRA and Grassroots panels, and was responsible for UEFA's youth competitions, refereeing department, and the women's football, futsal, and medical units. In addition, he also led UEFA's elite conferences, courses, and forums for national coaches, UEFA Champions League coaches, coach educators, youth coaches, women's football coaches, grassroots leaders, futsal coaches, and team doctors.

FIFA Roxburgh has worked with FIFA, as a member of its Technical Committee, as a FIFA instructor, and as a member of the Technical Study Group at six FIFA World Cups ('86, '94, '98, '02, '06, '10).

Honours SFWA Manager of the Year: 1989–90 National Playing Fields Association, MacRobert Thistle Award for his outstanding contribution to football – 1990 Tartan Special Manager of the Month – November 1989