Paul Fernie

Englishman Paul Fernie is the Sporting Director of SV Darmstadt and is developing a stellar reputation in German football.

Fernie grew up in Hull and worked in analysis roles in England before the opportunity came to join Wiesbaden, thanks to a recommendation from Blackburn Rovers manager Paul Lambert. Soon he progressed from Head of Recruitment to Sporting Director and led the club from promotion to Bundesliga 2.

In Episode #64 of the TGG Podcast, Fernie told us how the Sporting Director role works in Germany, what it was like to work under Graham Potter and Paul Mitchell earlier on in his career, and why more English staff should give it a go abroad.