Tony Scholes left Stoke City in 2021 for a top role with the Premier League and now he is set for a new big challenge
10:42, 03 Nov 2025Updated 10:43, 03 Nov 2025
Tony Scholes joined Stoke City as chief executive in 2004 when the club was still owned by a consortium of Icelandic businessmen.
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Tony Scholes joined Stoke City as chief executive in 2004 when the club was still owned by a consortium of Icelandic businessmen.(Image: Sentinel)
Tony Scholes is set to leave his top job at the Premier League and take on a major new challenge in the United States.
The former Stoke City chief executive is reported to have been lined up as president of the USL's new first division, which will introduce the concept of promotion and relegation to American sport. He is expected to make the move next summer.
Scholes spent 17 years as a key figure behind the scenes at Stoke before becoming chief football officer of the Premier League in 2021. His role has been focused on the football side of the business, such as trying to hone the use of VAR and organising the fixture list.
The USL is the second tier of football in the US although there is no automatic promotion to MLS. Instead, clubs have to apply for an MLS expansion franchise - a route which has been followed by the likes of Orlando City, FC Cincinnati and Nashville.
There was a vote in March to bring in promotion and relegation in the USL pyramid, A new Division One will be launched in 2028 and will be recognised as the highest tier alongside MLS.
The Athletic reports: "Scholes' move to the USL comes at a critical time, both in the lower-division organization’s development and in the growth of American soccer.
"The USL’s decision to launch a Division One league and adopt promotion and relegation has created significant excitement for the league’s potential and how it might shape the future of the sport in America. That includes speculation as to how it might compete with MLS.
"Scholes will play an important role in shaping USL’s future, and there is much work to do. The USL has to decide which teams will move from its existing Division Two and Division Three leagues into Division One, but it has also had strong interest from outside groups looking to launch expansion teams in the new division, according to sources. That has included interest from overseas investors."
Former Stoke technical director Mark Cartwright was USL sporting director between 2021 and 2023 and Stoke have previously had close links with Orlando City, which was founded by former Stoke director Phil Rawlins.
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