Former Sydney FC A-League club player Jake Girdwood-Reich has signed a three-year contract with Scottish Premier League Club Motherwell FC.
He leaves U.S. MLS St. Louis City FC following a one-season loan to the A-League’s Auckland FC, which won the 2026 Grand Final.
His football development was gained at the Sydney FC Academy, alongside Cameron Devlin and others currently playing for Scottish Premier League clubs.
His representative career includes playing for the Australian youth national teams. Jake was spotted and encouraged by ex-Celtic and Scotland star Paul McStay in Sydney during his teenage years to think about playing in Scotland.
Jake is excited by the move to Scotland, where he is no stranger.
He has strong ties to the country. .
At age 11, Jake and his twin sister Tamara attended Bridge of Allan Primary School for a term while staying with his family at the University of Stirling. During that time, he also played half a season for St Johnstone FC Academy, competing against clubs he will face in the 2026/27 season.
His grandfather grew up in Scotland before migrating to Australia as an engineer after serving as a marine engineer in the British merchant navy during World War II, and many of Jake’s Scottish family are Motherwell FC supporters
“It feels so good to be here,” Jake said. “Talks have been ongoing, and I’ve been keen to get things finalised so I could get to work.
The manager was impressive in the way he explained how he wanted the team to play, and that is something that is important to me. I know what he expects from me, and I know what I can expect from him.”