Iron management trio pen new deals with the club

Scunthorpe United is delighted to confirm first team manager Andy Butler and assistant manager John Schofield have both signed new contracts with the club, which will run until the summer of 2028.

Leading the club back to the National League in his first season as a manager, Butler and his assistant Schofield earned a contract extension back in October 2024 following an impressive start, with the Iron then sitting top of the Vanarama National League North, three points clear of their nearest rivals following the first nine games. That included an eight-game unbeaten start which included six wins and two draws, with only two goals conceded in the process.

From there, Butler, along with Schofield and the backroom staff would lead the team to promotion via the play-offs in a record-breaking campaign for more reason than one, with the trend and upward trajectory continuing into our National League campaign, with the side sitting in a play-off position with 12 games remaining, exceeding all expectation going into the season.

Butler, now 42, returned to the club in the autumn of 2022, taking a role as Youth Development Phase Coach within the academy before moving over to the first team as a coach under Jimmy Dean before succeeding him as manager in the summer of 2024. As a player, he featured for the club over two spells, firstly between 2002 and 2008 before a return in 2019-20.

Meanwhile Schofield, who was Russ Wilcox’s assistant at the Iron for a brief spell in the 2014-15 campaign and also had a role in 2007-08, returned to the club to compliment Butler’s appointment as manager in July 2024.

Chair and co-owner Michelle Harness, speaking on behalf of the Board, said: “As a Board, we’re delighted to have agreed a deal with Andy and John to remain as our management duo beyond the end of the season, when their current contracts were due to expire. It’s evident for all to see what an excellent young manager Andy is, and how much he’s learnt over the time he’s been back at the club with us, and how vastly experienced John is and how much they both complement each other.

“From the moment he arrived back at the club, Andy showed outstanding leadership, professionalism, and commitment. He leads by example both on and off the pitch, setting standards that his players respect and respond to. He understands what it means to play for Scunthorpe United, and now he truly understands what it means to lead the team as manager. He has embraced the responsibility, and the badge, earning their respect through his work ethic, resilience, and determination.

“Both have been key contributors to the togetherness that we have at the football club, and both have been keen to drive that throughout their whole time in tenure. It’s fantastic that both Andy and John want to continue their journey with us and look to continue what they’ve started.”

Scunthorpe United can also confirm goalkeeper coach Paul Musselwhite has also penned improved terms with the Iron as he comes towards the end of his thirteenth campaign in his role.

First joining the club in 1988, he would play 132 games in four years before progressing his career elsewhere. He would go full circle and return in the summer of 2004, being a prominent part in seeing the club promoted to League One that campaign, leaving the club following the end of the 2005-06 season. Following his return in June 2013, Musselwhite has been a constant in the backroom staff in the football department, with the continuity and loyalty shown by the former shot stopper rewarded as part of his latest agreement.

With the signatures now sealed on the dotted line for the management team, Scunthorpe United can confirm it falls within the football management’s remit to commence among players in the squad as we reach the business end of the season as they look to aim for a positive end to 2025-26 and shape their squad for the 2026-27 season.