Rangers CEO Fraser Thornton was appointed to the SPFL Board today as clubs voted to make the Scottish FA’s Cooperation Agreement System a permanent feature of SPFL competitions.
Fraser was elected by William Hill Premiership clubs at an SPFL General Meeting and replaces Patrick Stewart, who departed the Ibrox club in late November last year.
He will serve as one of the three William Hill Premiership representatives until the end of season 2025/26, along with the rest of the club-appointed directors on the SPFL Board. Fraser is CEO at the club and will take on the role of Executive Director at Rangers when Jim Gillespie takes on the role of Rangers chief executive later this season.
The SPFL would like to thank Patrick Stewart for his contribution to the SPFL Board.
At the General Meeting, the SPFL’s member clubs also voted to implement the Scottish FA’s Cooperation Agreement System permanently in SPFL competitions following a successful trial period during the current campaign.
The Cooperation System was introduced to provide increased flexibility for players in the ‘transition phase’ of 16-21 to move between their parent club and a Cooperation club throughout the year.
Recent data has found young Scottish players have seen their playing opportunities rise almost 50%, following the introduction of the Cooperation System and the revamp of the SPFL's KDM Evolution Trophy to include William Hill Premiership B teams.
The total number of playing minutes for Scottish Under-21 players (born in the calendar year 2005 or younger) has risen by 71,395, with increases across the William Hill Championship, League One and League Two, Highland League, Lowland League, Premier Sports Cup and the KDM Evolution Trophy.
The Scottish FA recently carried out a survey with SPFL clubs, which demonstrated widespread support for continuing the Cooperation System, and clubs voted to retain the System on a permanent basis this morning.
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