Celtic Academy Director Visits Florida!

Greig started his week by watching a number of our competitive teams play against local opposition in league games. Before joining the coaches on the sideline, Greig observed the pre-match warm-ups and listened to the coaches team talks. Throughout the game, Greig made notes which he shared with the team and coaches at both half and fulltime, something everyone found extremely useful.

That Sunday, Greig conducted his first training sessions with some of the younger Academy teams. As the week progressed all age groups had the opportunity to share in his wealth of experience. The complexity of the sessions were delivered based on age group. The level of intensity and enthusiasm in all sessions were high, coupled with some Scottish humor thrown in to keep them enjoyable for the participants. Even the Florida weather played its part with particularly cool temperatures most evenings making Greig almost feel at home.

In addition to the players having the opportunity to learn from Greig, the Coaches also experienced training, the “Celtic Way”! Greig hosted a Coaches meeting on Monday in which he made a presentation that covered the history of Celtic, their methods, philosophy and organizational structure. He ended the meeting with Q&A’s but not before sharing the weekly schedule of a U14 player in their Academy which certainly made our coaches appreciate the level of commitment the Scottish players and parents have for their Celtic youth teams. Wednesday night, the coaches went out of the classroom and onto the field. Greig, along with the support of one of our competitive teams, ran the coaches through a number of the regular drills they use. Many coaches with pen and pad frantically made notes so they could bring this to their own sessions. The evening was very well supported with 25 plus of Celtic FC Florida’s coaches in attendance.

The visit also coincided with Celtic hosting a Champions League game at Celtic Park against world powerhouse Barcelona, the game ending in a 2-1 win for the Scottish hosts. Many people believe this to be one of the top 2 greatest wins the club has ever achieved.

International Academy Development Officer & Youth Academy Coach, Celtic Football Club

2003-Present

Scottish Football Association – Advanced Youth Licence Diploma

Scottish Football Association – Advanced Children’s Licence Diploma

Scottish Football Association – Club Coach Award

Higher National Diploma – Health, Exercise and Fitness

   - develop, manage and deliver International club partnerships

   - develop, manage and deliver Ireland club partnerships

   - develop, manage and deliver Scottish club partnerships

   - develop, manage and deliver youth football tournament in India

   - coordinate and feature in reality TV show Football’s Next Star

   - manage, coordinate and deliver elite level coaching program within the Celtic Youth Academy

Greig is the International Academy Development Director whose main responsibility is to develop and manage Celtic’s Club Affiliate Program and their overseas tours and tournaments.  He has worked with Clubs and Associations not only in America, but also in Japan, Australia, Qatar, Kuwait, Canada, Germany, Cyprus, and many more nations.  He is also the head coach for the U12 Youth Academy team which plays at the Professional Youth level within the Scottish Football Association.  Greig is fortunate enough to work with very talented young players on a daily basis and to have the opportunity to develop as a coach amongst some of the most educated and qualified coaches and staff across the globe.

A warm Celtic FC Florida welcome to Greig!