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San Diego FC announced Wednesday that Chris Docherty has been hired as the club’s new Technical Director, filling the role previously held by Kenneth Heiner-Møller after his move to Canada Soccer.
A Technical Director is responsible for overseeing the overall football strategy and development of a club. While the head coach focuses on preparing the first team and winning matches, the Technical Director helps ensure that every level of the club is working toward the same long-term vision.
Docherty will play a key role in connecting San Diego FC’s first team, academy, and player development system under a shared football philosophy. His responsibilities will include helping align playing style, coaching methodology, recruitment, and development standards throughout the organization.
“Chris is a highly respected football leader whose experience spans elite player development, club strategy, recruitment, and technical leadership across multiple countries and levels of the game,” Sporting Director, Tyler Heaps said in a club statement. “His ability to connect long-term player development with high-performance environments makes him an excellent fit for San Diego FC.”
Docherty arrives in San Diego after serving as Head of Men’s Elite Strategy for the Scottish Football Association, where he helped oversee player development initiatives and pathways to the senior national team. His résumé also includes leadership roles with Hungarian club Budapest Honvéd, Russian side FC Akron, and Dundee United, along with consulting work focused on recruitment, coaching development, and technical strategy.
“It is a privilege to join San Diego FC and the wider Right to Dream Group, which I have admired for a number of years,” Docherty said. “Last season already provided a glimpse of how exciting things can be for San Diego at the first-team level, and with our Academy only in its infancy, we feel we are just at the beginning of a long-term project.”
The hire continues San Diego FC’s emphasis on building a clear pathway from the academy to the first team. With the club still in the early stages of establishing its long-term identity, Docherty will be tasked with helping ensure that player development, recruitment, and coaching philosophies remain aligned across every level of the organization.
