New York Red Bulls announce Paul Fernie as Head of Scouting

HARRISON, N.J. – The New York Red Bulls have named Paul Fernie Head of Scouting, the club announced today. Fernie brings over 10 years of professional experience to New York, including work with clubs in England and Germany.

“We’re pleased to add Paul to our staff,” said Red Bulls Sporting Director Denis Hamlett. “Paul has progressed through a variety of experiences in player analysis and scouting and has helped several clubs define their scouting profiles to better identify players that fit their distinct style and club philosophy. We’re excited to see how Paul can apply those skills here in New York and help us add talented players, from the professional ranks down through the academy.”

Fernie most recently served as Head of Recruitment for SV Wehen Wiesbaden in Germany, where he oversaw all aspects of scouting and recruitment. Fernie assisted Wiesbaden in creating a blueprint and philosophy that fit the club’s overall vision, working together with the analytics department to create scouting profiles that improved the player recruitment process.

Fernie joined the club in 2016, when Wiesbaden finished 16th in the 3.Liga. Fernie helped the club climb to seventh and fourth place finishes before earning promotion to the 2. Bundesliga in 2018-19.

Prior to his time in Germany, Fernie served as the Head of Performance Analysis for the Blackburn Rovers, serving as a bridge between the scouting and analysis departments to identify and recruit talents that could be developed by the club.

“I am delighted to be joining RBNY as the new head of scouting at what is an exciting time for the club heading into the 2020 season,” said Fernie. “It’s evident to see in my short time here already that everybody is hungry for success in what is a highly motivated and focused environment to be coming into. It’s my job ultimately to create and instill a scouting structure which enables us to recruit players of the highest ability, skillset and character to provide us with the best chance possible of achieving our collective aim of long-term success. We will be working extremely diligently in the coming weeks and months to make sure we obtain our targets for the upcoming transfer period and in turn build something with real longevity looking ahead into the future.”

Fernie graduated with a degree in Sport & Exercise Science from the University of Hull in 2009 and got his start as a youth coach in the United States before moving to a youth coaching role with the English FA and Leeds United. Fernie has also worked as a performance analyst for Nottingham Forest and the Doncaster Rovers.