Mladen Sormaz Named Barnley's First-Ever Sporting Director
- Sormaz — who has a wealth of international recruitment and talent identification experience — joins Barnsley following a comprehensive executive search campaign led by Football Careers and MRKT Insights
Following a comprehensive recruitment campaign in partnership with MRKT Insights, Football Careers is pleased to support Mladen Sormaz as he joins Barnsley Football Club as its new Sporting Director. The appointment is the first of its kind in the EFL League One side’s 136-year history.
With extensive talent identification and recruitment experience internationally, including across the Premier League, the Belgian Pro League, and Serie A, Mladen brings an in-depth understanding of the game and a highly useful skill set to his new position with Barnsley.
He comes to the club from 777 Partners, where he was responsible for identifying players for an impressive portfolio of football clubs, including Genoa, Standard Liège, and Hertha Berlin.
Prior to his time at 777 Partners, Mladen held a senior position in Leicester City’s recruitment team. During his tenure, the Foxes scored three top-eight Premier League league finishes and won an FA Cup.
Stewart Macgregor, Managing Director and leader of Football Careers’ recruitment division, said of Mladen’s appointment:
“Football Careers was delighted to support the club in recruiting its first Sporting Director. Following a targeted and data-driven executive search process, we’ve brought Barnsley together with Mladen, who will be a brilliant fit for the club.
“Football is an ever-changing industry, and the use of data is as prevalent now as it’s ever been. Mladen not only possesses great senior operational experience within football, but he also aligns perfectly with the club’s desire to have data at the heart of its footballing decisions.
“I’d like to wish both Mladen and the club my very best wishes for the remainder of the season and beyond.”
In his new role with Barnsley, Mladen will lead football operations for the club, including negotiating incoming and outgoing transfers as well as player contract offers across the men’s and women’s teams. He will support a number of the club’s departments in achieving their objectives, including the men’s and women’s coaching teams, the sports science team, and the youth Academy.
Mladen — who holds a PhD in Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience — will also work with Barnsley’s coaches to establish and implement a game model and coaching methodology for use throughout the club.
The 36-year-old was raised in Yorkshire and is a graduate of the University of York. He commented:
“I am absolutely delighted to be joining Barnsley. As someone from not too far away, I’ve grown up around a lot of Barnsley fans and understand the scale of the club and the passion of the support. I’m honoured to have the responsibility to be the club’s first Sporting Director.
“I’m excited to get started and meet everyone, and will be fully focused on helping support Neill and the first team in the promotion push for this last, vital part of the season.”
Chairman Neerav Parekh said: “We are really pleased to have appointed the first Sporting Director in the club’s history. This role is key for us as we look to have top professionals overseeing both the football and commercial aspects of the club, rather than one person trying to manage both. This is a much more modern approach which will improve our operation.”
With the support of the team at MRKT Insights, we’re delighted to have brought Barnsley together with Mladen through the provision of expert-led bespoke recruitment services. We’re wishing Mladen all the best as he begins his new role with Barnsley later in February.
