David Paul Martindale (born 13 July 1974) is a Scottish

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

who currently manages

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish ...

club

Livingston Livingston may refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North American custom ...

. Martindale did not play for any professional team but did play

Junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

football for

Linlithgow Rose Linlithgow Rose Football Club are a Scottish football club based in Linlithgow, West Lothian. The team plays in the East of Scotland Football League Premier Division, the sixth tier of Scottish football, having moved from the junior leagues i ...

and West Calder United.

Career

Time in prison, first steps in coaching

Unlike most football managers, Martindale did not play the sport at the professional level. Born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, he grew up in

Govan Govan ( ; Cumbric?: ''Gwovan'?''; Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of south-west City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south ba ...

and the

Craigshill Craigshill is a residential area in the east of Livingston, Scotland. To the west is the A899, with Howden, Ladywell and Knightsridge beyond it, to the south is the village of Mid Calder, and to the north is Houston Industrial Estate and the vi ...

neighbourhood of

Livingston, West Lothian Livingston ( sco, Leivinstoun, gd, Baile Dhunlèibhe) is the largest town in West Lothian, Scotland. Designated in 1962, it is the fourth post-war new town to be built in Scotland. Taking its name from a village of the same name incorporated ...

and was a youth player with Rangers and

Motherwell Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lanarks ...

but by his own admission did not apply himself to make the most of his talents, and was released from a contract with Rangers after fracturing his leg in an unauthorised local match with friends. He played at

level for

and West Calder United and had business interests in the hospitality sector,David Martindale's journey from prison to leading Livingston
Ewan Murray,

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

, 4 December 2020 but after a pub he owned went on fire without insurance cover he also became heavily involved in

organised crime Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...

, specifically the large-scale supply of

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...

as well as

money laundering Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdictions ...

. He was arrested in April 2004 following a police operation; while awaiting trial, he enrolled at

Heriot-Watt University Heriot-Watt University ( gd, Oilthigh Heriot-Watt) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and subsequently granted univ ...

to undertake a degree in construction project management.New Livingston boss David Martindale hopes his story can help inspire others
Evening Express, 21 December 2020 Martindale was imprisoned in November 2006, serving four years (and also having around £100,000-worth of assets seized as

proceeds of crime Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdictions ...

), then completed his degree following his release. In football, he played for Whitburn in the East Region Juniors then became assistant manager at Broxburn Athletic.

Progression at Livingston

In 2014, while employed in the construction industry, he became involved with local professional club

as a part-time volunteer based on personal recommendations and following appropriate background checks, with his work initially consisting of basic training duties and ground maintenance – the club's poor financial state at the time meant they were in need of assistance at minimal cost.New Livingston boss David Martindale reflects on journey from prison to Premiership manager
Callum Carson, Daily Record, 22 December 2020 Even at that stage, his appointment was scrutinised in local press.Livingston FC under fire for giving coaching role to drugs crook

Sunday Post ''The Sunday Post'' is a weekly newspaper published in Dundee, Scotland, by DC Thomson, and characterised by a mix of news, human interest stories and short features. The paper was founded in 1914 and has a wide circulation across Scotland, N ...

, 24 May 2015 He gradually became more involved in coaching and recruitment during

Mark Burchill Mark James Burchill (born 18 August 1980) is a Scottish former professional Association football, football player and coach. He played for Scottish clubs Celtic F.C., Celtic, Dundee F.C., Dundee, Heart of Midlothian F.C., Hearts, Dunfermline Ath ...

's spell as manager, and also began to study the subject formally, obtaining his

UEFA B Licence UEFA, the governing body for football in Europe, mandates several coaching licences for professional managers, each valid for coaching at a certain level. These include the UEFA Pro Licence, the UEFA A Licence, and the UEFA B Licence. They are is ...

via the

Irish Football Association The Irish Football Association (IFA) is the governing body for association football in Northern Ireland. It organised the Ireland national football team from 1880 to 1950, which after 1954, became the Northern Ireland national football team. ...

due to them being more accommodating to applicants with convictions than their Scottish counterparts. Martindale was appointed assistant manager of Livingston when

David Hopkin David Isaac Hopkin (born 21 August 1970) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player who was most recently the manager of Ayr United. As a player he was a midfielder from 1989 until 2003, notably in the English Premier League i ...

became manager in January 2016, and when Hopkin departed in May 2018 after leading the club to successive promotions from

Scottish League One The Scottish League One, known as cinch League One for sponsorship reasons, is the third tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish League One was e ...

to the

, took temporary charge of the team; several signings were made during this summer period (during which he was offered the manager's job but turned it down for concerns of bringing embarrassment to the club due to his past and of being too inexperienced at that point)Livingston: David Martindale now feels 'more capable' to take head coach role
Brian McLauchlin, BBC Sport, 3 December 2020 but no official matches played prior to the appointment of

Kenny Miller Kenneth Miller (born 23 December 1979) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player. Miller, who played as a striker, is one of only five post-war players to have played for both Rangers and Celtic. Miller began his career at ...

, who soon resigned in August 2018 to continue his playing career. Martindale again had interim control for a matter of days before Gary Holt took over, keeping Martindale on the staff and handing him increased responsibilities as 'head of football operations'.

Livingston manager

Holt quit as Livingston manager in November 2020 – again deciding to leave despite a relatively successful spell where the ''Lions'' comfortably retained their top-flight status in both seasons of his tenure – and Martindale was appointed head coach on an interim basis, alongside

Tony Caig Antony Caig (born 11 April 1974) is an English football coach and former player, who played as a goalkeeper. He is currently the Head of Academy Goalkeeping for Premier League Club Newcastle United. Playing career Caig made his name playing ...

.David Martindale: Livingston interim boss a changed man since prison, says chief executive John Ward
Brian McLauchlin, BBC Sport, 11 December 2020 He won four matches in a row during this time (including a

2020–21 Scottish League Cup The 2020–21 Scottish League Cup (also known as the Betfred Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 75th season of Scotland's second-most prestigious football knockout competition. The format for the 2020–21 competition was the same as the previo ...

quarter-final), and was officially appointed manager until the end of the season on 21 December.Livingston boss David Martindale says 'judge me on who I am now' as he awaits SFA approval
Brian McLauchlin,

BBC Sport BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC television, radio and online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadcasting the sport live or alongside flag ...

, 21 December 2020Livingston appoint David Martindale as permanent boss after Gary Holt departure
Aidan Smith,

Glasgow Times The ''Glasgow Times'' is an evening tabloid newspaper published Monday to Saturday in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. Called ''The Evening Times'' from 1876, it was rebranded as the ''Glasgow Times'' on 4 December 2019.Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

and progressing to the League Cup Final. The

Scottish Football Association The Scottish Football Association (also known as the SFA and the Scottish FA; sco, Scots Fitba Association; Scottish Gaelic: ''Comann Ball-coise na h-Alba'') is the Sport governing body, governing body of association football, football in Scot ...

's 'Fit and proper person' hearing by its Professional Game Board took place on 26 January 2021 with a positive outcome for Martindale, who had been turned down in his application to be a club official a year earlier but was supported publicly by eminent sporting academic

Phil Scraton Phil Scraton (born 3 May 1949) is a critical criminologist, academic and author. He is a social researcher, known particularly for his investigative work into the context, circumstances and aftermath of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster. More rece ...

and the local MP

Hannah Bardell Hannah Mary Bardell (born 1 June 1983) is a Scottish politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Livingston since 2015. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she served as its spokesperson for Digital, Culture, Media ...

. There was also widespread support for Martindale within Scottish football from fans, players and other managers. Martindale won Scottish Premiership Manager of the Month in November 2022.Manager of the month is a 'collective achievement'
BBC Sport, 22 November 2022

Career statistics

Managerial record

*Initially caretaker and appointed permanently on 21 December 2020

Honours

Manager

Livingston *

Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...

runner-up:

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

Individual * Scottish Premiership Manager of the Month: December 2020,

January 2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after ...

, November 2022

References

External links

Profile
at

LinkedIn LinkedIn () is an American business and employment-oriented online service that operates via websites and mobile apps. Launched on May 5, 2003, the platform is primarily used for professional networking and career development, and allows job se ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martindale, David 1974 births Living people Scottish football managers Scottish footballers Association football coaches Scottish Junior Football Association players West Calder United F.C. players Linlithgow Rose F.C. players Whitburn Junior F.C. players Broxburn Athletic F.C. players Sportspeople from Glasgow Sportspeople from West Lothian People from Livingston, West Lothian Scottish Professional Football League managers Livingston F.C. non-playing staff Livingston F.C. managers Scottish drug traffickers Scottish people convicted of drug offences British money launderers People convicted of money laundering Alumni of Heriot-Watt University 21st-century Scottish criminals Sportspeople convicted of crimes Association footballers not categorized by position