Ayr Rugby Football Club are delighted to announce the appointment of Pat MacArthur as Director of Rugby.
Pat MacArthur began his rugby journey at Ayr, rising through the junior ranks to become a key part of the club’s first-ever Premiership-winning squad in 2009. He earned representative honours for Scotland U18, U19, U20, and the Club XV before signing a full-time contract with Glasgow Warriors. Over the next decade, Pat made 165 appearances for the Warriors and earned full international caps for Scotland during that time.
In the latter stages of his playing career, he transitioned into coaching as a player/coach at Ayr, helping the club to a historic Premiership and Scottish Cup double in 2019. After hanging up his boots, he joined the Ayrshire Bulls coaching staff as a forwards coach under Peter Murchie in the inaugural Super6 season.
In 2021, Pat was promoted to Head Coach of the Ayrshire Bulls and made an immediate impact, leading the side to victory in the first-ever Super6 Championship. His team returned to the final the following year, narrowly missing out in extra time, but bounced back in 2023 by winning the updated Super Series Sprint and reaching yet another final later that year.
In 2024, the final year of the competition, Pat’s Bulls side once again came out on top, winning the Super Series Sprint. Under his leadership, the Bulls became the most successful side in the competition’s history: six competitions, five finals, three titles — making Pat the most successful Super Series Head Coach.
On his appointment, Pat commented:
“I’m stepping into the role off the back of a lot of really good work. The club is in a strong position, both on and off the field. I know a huge amount of effort has gone in already, and I want to build on that. Gordon Kotze put a lot into last season, and I’ll be looking to continue that momentum.
My approach will reflect the values I was brought up with here at Ayr Rugby Club — yes there’s always pressure to perform, but there’s also a real emphasis on creating a pathway for young players, both boys and girls, and making the club an enjoyable place to be, which is a massive part, and a lot of that comes through the rugby that is being played.”
“Having Frazier Climo as our Youth Performance Director and coaching our U18s, alongside Gordon Kotze working with our U16 boys, is massive. These are guys I’ve spent a lot of my life with, and we’ve built strong relationships. That foundation is going to be really valuable as we work closely to develop those teams and strengthen the pathway into senior rugby.”
A key focus for Pat will be ensuring young players have a clear and supported route from youth to senior rugby:
“A big part of what I’m passionate about is the pathway and progression route from junior rugby to senior rugby. I know from personal experience that I wouldn’t have achieved the success that I had without that transition from U18s to the first team. I was lucky to have excellent coaches all the way through, which I’m sure put me in a good position, and I want to make sure today’s players have that same opportunity.
A lot of my focus outside the senior teams will be on coaching the coaches, making sure we’ve got the right people in place and giving them the tools they need to really push the kids on. There’s a massive focus right now on helping players develop in their correct positions. Of course, all young players need strong fundamentals — fitness, handling, passing — but we also want to focus on being able to coach kids position-specific roles from a young age. Forwards should learn how to be a forward in the correct way; backs should be developing their own specialist skills, and that’s something Frazier Climo will play a key role in. The goal is to upskill the coaches so the kids get the best possible start on their path to senior rugby.”
Pat stressed the importance of supporting all areas of the club:
“I’ll be working closely across the club — with the junior sides and all four of our senior teams. We’ve just appointed a new 2nd XV Head Coach, and I’ve spoken to both the 2As and Ladies teams. There’s been a lot of work going on behind the scenes to support the women’s game at Ayr. We want Ayr Ladies to continue growing, pushing for promotion, and we’ll be making sure we’re putting the correct people in those positions, to give the girls that are involved across the club the correct pathway to try and get promotion.”
“Throughout my career, I have experienced a lot of different players, I have worked under a lot of different coaches, and I have seen a lot of different systems and cultures within teams. That’s something I really pushed with the Ayrshire Bulls — building a strong, positive culture — and I think that culture can be seen in how the team operates.
Ayr Rugby Club already has such a strong culture, and a big part of my role is to make sure we’re bringing in the right people, and coaching in the correct way, to continue that enjoyment. At the same time, I’ll be using the experience I’ve gained from different environments to tighten up how we operate, try new ideas, and continue to evolve — without ever losing sight of how we are building Ayr Rugby Club.”
