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Key Points

Dan Ashworth makes a significant return to the English Football Association as the Chief Football Officer, bringing extensive expertise from his prior roles, including a stint with Manchester United. He will lead the high-performance strategy and spearhead the renovation of St. George's Park with an eye toward the upcoming UEFA Euro 2028. Ashworth's strategic focus will encompass both the men's and women's teams as he aims to enhance national football capabilities. His appointment underscores the FA's long-term vision of developing winning England teams and nurturing homegrown coaching talent.

Key Points: Dan Ashworth Returns as FA Chief Football Officer

  • Ashworth was FA technical director from 2013 to 2019
  • Brief stint as Manchester United sporting director ended surprisingly
  • Ashworth to oversee St. George's Park upgrades
  • Strategic focus on England teams and coach development
2 min read

Dan Ashworth rejoins FA as Chief Football Officer

Dan Ashworth rejoins the FA as Chief Football Officer, focusing on high-performance strategy and St. George's Park upgrade ahead of UEFA Euro 2028.

"Dan is a hugely influential and respected figure in the game. - Mark Bullingham"

London, May 14

The English Football Association (FA) have appointed Dan Ashworth as their chief football officer, becoming the first person to assume the role, and is being brought in to lead the high-performance strategy and new-look St. George's Park.

Ashworth was previously the FA's director of elite development and then technical director for a six-year tenure between 2013 and 2019. More recently he spent five months as Manchester United sporting director before his abrupt departure in September.

After holding key positions at three Premier League clubs, he returns to a newly created role with the FA, with strategic oversight across England men's and women's teams.

He will also oversee the regeneration of St. George's Park, which will undergo a significant upgrade to its world-class performance facilities and pitches as England prepares to co-host UEFA Euro 2028.

Reporting into FA CEO Mark Bullingham, Ashworth will work closely with men's technical director John McDermott and Kay Cossington's successor in the women's technical directorate.

He will focus primarily on optimising the potential of the national football centre and building the long-term systems that underpin the FA's performance ambitions, from winning England teams to developing more homegrown coaches.

"Dan is a hugely influential and respected figure in the game, who has a long-standing commitment to England Football. We are very happy to welcome him back in this new role," said Bullingham.

Ashworth's removal as sporting director had come as a huge shock after Manchester United had put in a lot of effort to snatch him from the hands of Newcastle United.

Ashworth was involved in an extravagant spending spree at Old Trafford during the summer that cost approximately 200 million Pounds (280 million USD) and brought in Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs De Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, and Joshua Zirkzee.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

Here are 5 diverse Indian perspective comments on this football news:
R
Rahul K.
Interesting move! While English football keeps strengthening their system, our AIFF needs to learn from such appointments. Ashworth has great experience - hope our sports administrators take notes on how to build proper football structures. 🇮🇳⚽
P
Priya M.
The money in English football is crazy! 200 million pounds spent in one summer transfer window...meanwhile our ISL clubs struggle to get proper training facilities. But good to see focus on women's football too - hope India can develop our women's team similarly.
A
Arjun S.
As an EPL fan, I remember Ashworth's work at Brighton. He's good at spotting talent. But question - why such quick exits from Newcastle and Man Utd? Hope this isn't another case of too much job-hopping in football administration. Stability matters!
S
Sunita R.
Nice to see England investing in infrastructure. St. George's Park is already world-class and they're upgrading further! Meanwhile our players still train on sub-par grounds. When will we get our own proper national football center? #IndianFootballNeedsMore
V
Vikram J.
The focus on homegrown coaches is important - England learned from their mistakes of relying too much on foreign managers. India should follow this approach too. Our I-League coaches need better pathways to develop. Ashworth's return could be good for England's long-term plans.

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