SFWA Manager of the Year
Award
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Scottish Football Writers' Association Manager of the Year (often called the SFWA Manager of the Year, or simply the Scottish Manager of the Year) award is given to the manager in Scottish football who is seen to have been the best manager of the previous season. The award is voted for by the members of the Scottish Football Writers' Association.
| SFWA Manager of the Year | |
|---|---|
Martin O'Neill won the award twice during his five seasons with Celtic | |
| Awarded for | The outstanding manager in each given Scottish football season |
| Country | Scotland |
| Presented by | Scottish Football Writers' Association |
| First award | 1987 |
| Manager of the Season | Derek McInnes |
| Most awards | Walter Smith (7) |
The award was first given in 1987, and was won by Dundee United boss Jim McLean. The award has been won by a manager in the top division of the Scottish football league system in all but two years, 1990, when the award went to Scotland manager Andy Roxburgh and 1995 when the award was given to Jimmy Nicholl who managed Raith Rovers in the First Division. There is a similar award made by PFA Scotland, the PFA Scotland Manager of the Year, which was first given in 2007.
List of winners
As of 2026, the award has been presented 40 times and won by 24 different managers. Walter Smith (7), Neil Lennon (3), Derek McInnes (3), Martin O'Neill (2), Dick Advocaat (2), Steve Clarke (2), Ange Postecoglou (2) and Brendan Rodgers (2) have won the award more than once. McInnes is the only manager to have won the award with more than one club.
Winners by club
| Club | Number of wins | Winning seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Celtic | 14 | 1987–88, 1997–98, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2016–17, 2019–20, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2024–25 |
| Rangers | 12 | 1988–89, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2002–03, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2020–21 |
| Kilmarnock | 4 | 2010–11, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2023–24 |
| Heart of Midlothian | 2 | 2008–09, 2025–26 |
| Aberdeen | 1 | 2013–14 |
| Dundee United | 1 | 1986–87 |
| Hibernian | 1 | 2004–05 |
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 1 | 2014–15 |
| Raith Rovers | 1 | 1994–95 |
| Ross County | 1 | 2015–16 |
| Scotland national team | 1 | 1989–90 |
| St Johnstone | 1 | 1990–91 |