Walsall have issued a statement, confirming the appointment of Stewart Mairs as the club's new Head of Football.Stewart, who is originally from Preston, will lead the club’s day to day football operations overseeing the Men’s First Team, Academy, player recruitment, medical and performance departments. He will provide strategic leadership across the club’s football structure as we continue to develop and evolve.
As Head of Football, Mairs will also join the club’s Executive Management Team - reporting to Chief Executive Officer Ben Sadler. Trivela Group’s Chief Sporting Officer, Matt Jordan, will continue to support the Board and the Head of Football directly from a strategic perspective at the group ownership level.
With an extensive background in the football industry spanning over 20 years, Stewart’s most recent role was as Director of Football at AFC Fylde, joining in March 2025. During his time at the club, Mairs rebuilt the staff and playing squad who now sit in a strong position to achieve promotion from the National League North, while restructuring the academy.
Before joining AFC Fylde, Mairs spent eight years working at D.C. United in Major League Soccer, where he started as Director of Soccer Strategy and Analysis in 2016 before being promoted to Technical Director in 2019, working with stars such as Wayne Rooney and Christian Benteke during that period. Whilst with the club, he also served as General Manager of their development team, Loudoun United FC, in the United Soccer League.
Prior to joining D.C. United, Mairs had previously worked for the renowned UK-based performance analysis and statistics company Prozone. During an 11-year stint at Prozone, Mairs handled a range of tasks including providing performance and analysis support for National Teams, whilst delivering business development solutions for over 120 clients including the U.S. Soccer Federation, MLS teams and multiple universities. During this period, Mairs played an important role with the U.S. Women’s National Team, providing technical and tactical analysis as he helped the side win the Gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, before becoming world champions at the FIFA World Cup in 2015.
Speaking via the club's official website, Stewart insisted he's looking forward to the challenge of making a lasting impact with the Saddlers, he said: "It’s been a thorough process, and I'm really excited to be here.
"First and foremost, I’m looking forward to working with some really good people, and I most definitely get that feeling across the club.
"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."
CEO Ben Sadler is delighted to have Stewart on board and is looking forward to working alongside him, he added: "I am delighted that Stewart has joined the club as our new Head of Football.
"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."