Walsall appoint Mairs as club’s first Head of Football

In his job, Mairs will lead the Saddlers’ day-to-day football operations overseeing the men’s first team, Academy, player recruitment and the medical and performance departments, as well as providing strategic leadership across the club’s football structure.

He will also be part of their Executive Management Team, reporting to Chief Executive Officer Ben Sadler.

Walsall, who are in their seventh consecutive season in League Two, have been in the running for promotion in each of the past two campaigns but have missed out in both.

Last season, they lost to AFC Wimbledon in the play-off final and this season they have dropped down the table and can no longer reach the play-offs.

‘Plenty to do’

They currently have Darren Byfield as Interim Head Coach for the rest of the season and before Mairs’ appointment, the club said that the new Head of Football would have “valuable input into the final decision on the next Head Coach”.

Mairs said: “We’ve got plenty to do on the footballing side and we’ve already started work on a number of key priorities, as we aim to finish this season strong and build towards next year.

“It is important to be clear and concise in terms of our aims and objectives. There’s a good foundation in place for us to develop and I am confident that I can add value across the various departments to help kick us on to the next level.”

Sadler said: “Following an extensive process, we feel confident we have added another key leader to our organisation with a strong level of skill and experience to help move the club forwards.”

Mairs has a wealth of football experience, including eight years working for Major League Soccer club DC United, almost five of which were as Technical Director, and most recently just over a year as Director of Football at National League side AFC Fylde.

He has also worked as a Performance Analyst for Al Jazira FC in the United Arab Emirates and for the US Women’s National Team and as an Operations Manager for sports performance analysis company Prozone Sports.