The Scottish FA's new chief executive Ian Maxwell said he's ready to take on the challenge of "inspiring a nation" and believes he has a unique background that can help him succeed at Hampden.

Maxwell succeeds Stewart Regan at the governing body but has previously been a board member at Hampden. The former player, and recent Partick Thistle chief executive, said he's picked up skills in a varied career that can help him deal with the job.

"I think I bring a unique understanding of football in Scotland," he said. "I've played the game, I've run a club for a number of years, I've sat in a boardroom at the SFA and SPFL.

"Even outwith that my son has played for the local boys club and I've been involved in coaching that, and I still play over-35s football on a Sunday.

"So I've got a real breadth of understanding of Scottish football as a whole and I think it's fairly unique.

"When you're involved at a club you're very much focused on the club. Leading this organisation, it's a complex organisation and there are a lot of different parts to it.

"I think my club understanding equips me well to see it from their perspective but I think the experience I've got from playing and coaching outwith that means that I can look at the other aspects of the business and the association, look at that with a bit of freshness and see how we can drive things forward."

Maxwell comes into a business that faces a number of challenges.

The men's national team hasn't qualified for a major finals since 1998, a decision is to be made between Hampden and Murrayfield as the national stadium and sponsorship deals have to be found, among other issues including uniting the Scottish FA board.

The new chief executive said his priority is to get to know the organisation and staff before tackling specifics.

"I think the first thing in terms of challenges is for me to understand the business," he said.

"I've an idea of what happens because I had a taste through my time at Thistle and time on the SFA board but I think really understanding the business is the first big challenge, getting to know the staff and how things work.

"Any organisation would always look at freshness and changing things and tweaks. It's really about improving things and driving the association forward. "

Overall, he believes his role is to support growing the game and ensuring it continues to play a prominent role in Scottish life and in the national conversation.

"The Scottish FA's vision is to inspire a nation," he said. "That's hugely important and that's exactly what we're here for.

"Inspiring a nation to engage with football whether playing it, watching it, talking about it at school at work or in the pub. Scottish football is consumed at a huge level in this country.

"There is a massive focus on football and it is a real privilege, honour and opportunity to go and harness that energy and drive that the public have to try and move things on."