Ward to step down as Liverpool Sporting Director

Ward has been with Liverpool for a decade

Ward has been with Liverpool for a decade

JULIAN WARD is to step down as Liverpool’s Sporting Director at the end of the season after one year in post.

Ward has been with Liverpool for a decade, having initially joined from Manchester City in October 2012 as European Scouting Manager for Spain and Portugal. He was promoted to Loan Pathways and Football Partnership Manager in 2015 and then to Assistant Sporting Director in December 2020.

This paved the way for him to replace the long-serving Michael Edwards as Sporting Director in summer of 2022. However, Ward has now informed Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, that he wants to take a break from football and will be stepping down from the role.

Liverpool are now evaluating how best to replace him, with FSG having instructed two banks to see what interest there is in attracting new investment to the club.

There have been other big departures at the club, with Head of Research Ian Graham having handed in his resignation in June and Mike Gordon, the influential Non-Executive Director, stepping back from club duties.

However, manager Jürgen Klopp has signed a new contract until 2026 and Head of Recruitment Dave Fallows and Chief Scout Barry Hunter continue to have key roles.

Chief Executive Billy Hogan is also becoming increasingly influential on the football side of the business.

Read more on:

LeadershipLiverpool

Recent news

Head to the new Training Ground Guru website!

Thompson promoted to Lead Data Scientist by Leicester

Wolves Set Piece Coach departs after seven league games

More stories

TGG Live 2024: The report

TGG Live 2024: The report

More than 450 delegates from clubs, federations and organisations around the world gathered at St George’s Park last week for Training Ground Guru’s biggest conference to date.

Paul Fernie: English Sporting Director making a mark in Germany

Paul Fernie: English Sporting Director making a mark in Germany

Paul Fernie is the Sporting Director of SV Darmstadt and is developing a stellar reputation in German football. In Episode #66 of the TGG Podcast, he told us how the Sporting Director role works in Germany, what it was like to work under Graham Potter and Paul Mitchell, and why more English staff should work abroad. ?

Building for success: Inside story of the Academy dome

Building for success: Inside story of the Academy dome

More than £1bn has been spent on built infrastructure at football Academies since the inception of EPPP in 2012. The centrepiece of the modern Academy is the indoor dome. We found out more about them from Collinson Tensile, the company behind the domes at AFC Bournemouth and Crystal Palace.

Sign up to our newsletter to get all the latest news from The Guru

//