Willie Collum replaces Crawford Allan as SFA head of refereeing

Willie Collum wants to “alleviate the unsustainable burden on match officials” when he replaces Crawford Allan as the Scottish FA’s new head of refereeing.

The 45-year-old will take up his duties in early July after resigning as a local authority education officer.

Collum will end almost 30 years of refereeing – 20 of which were spent as a category one official and Fifa international referee – with immediate effect to replace Allan, who leaves the role at the end of the season.

Collum refereed at Euro 2016, in four Scottish Cup finals, two League Cup finals and in more than 250 Fifa and Uefa club and international competitions including the Champions League as well as World Cup and European Championship qualifiers.

“I am proud and honoured. I took up refereeing at the age of 14 and this is the culmination of some of the greatest experiences of my career,” he said.

“I’ve been in the shoes of referees at every level and want to help others fulfil their potential by overcoming challenges and seizing opportunities.

“I was emphatic throughout the interview process that I want to improve, with consultation and consensus, the operation and delivery of VAR for all concerned.

“I want to alleviate the unsustainable burden on our match officials and improve relations and mutual respect between match officials, club officials, players, coaches and fans.”

SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell said he received applications from experienced candidates across the UK, Europe, North America, Asia and Australia.

When Allan, who has been in the role for four years and is leaving “to pursue new opportunities”, announced he was stepping down, Maxwell admitted VAR processes needed to improve.

“We were clear we would leave no stone unturned in getting the best candidate for a job that has become significantly more demanding with the arrival of VAR,” he said.

“It is to Willie’s great credit that he emerged as the outstanding candidate from such a strong international field.”