Patrick Stewart has been replaced on the board until the end of the season after his Ibrox departure
15:26, 15 Jan 2026Updated 19:41, 15 Jan 2026
Fraser Thornton has been elected to the SPFL board for the remainder of the season.
The Rangers CEO takes his place on the committee alongside Phyllis Carroll of Kilmarnock and Malcolm McPherson of Hibernian as the Premiership’s representatives. He fills the void left by Patrick Stewart, who was shown the door by Andrew Cavenagh in November with the club in the midst of a disastrous campaign.
Thornton is currently acting as Ibrox CEO but will become an Executive Director at Rangers when St Mirren's Jim Gillespie takes on the role of Rangers chief executive later this season. Clubs also voted to make the Scottish FA’s Cooperation Agreement System a permanent feature of SPFL competitions at the general meeting.
A host of Premiership clubs have forged a link with lower league sides as part of the Scottish FA's pathway framework, allowing clubs to transfer players between the ages of 16 and 21 to others further down the food chain in order to play first team football. Celtic have trusted their former skipper Scott Brown with their younger stars on the fringes of the squad, while Rangers hold agreements with Raith Rovers, Stirling Albion and Alloa.
League leaders Hearts are in partnership with St Johnstone, Montrose and The Spartans, while capital rivals Hibs hold agreements with East Kilbride and Arbroath. Aberdeen hold a partnership with Kelty Hearts and Elgin City.
An SPFL statement said on the transfer legislation: "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."
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