Dan Ashworth sealed a premature exit from Man United last December after being appointed as their sporting director only a few months earlier.
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Sport
10:27, 14 May 2025
Dan Ashworth observes a Manchester United training session.
Dan Ashworth is back with the Football Association.(Image: Charlotte Tattersall - MUFC/Manchester United via Getty Images.)
Former Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth has been appointed as the Football Association's [FA] first chief football officer.
Ashworth sealed a shock exit from Old Trafford back in December, just months after being appointed as the club's sporting director.
The 54-year-old, after being put on gardening leave by Newcastle United in February last year, officially joined United in July following several months worth of speculation. United co-chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe had earmarked Ashworth as a key figure to form part of Ineos' new-look football structure in M16.
Ashworth was keen to get the opportunity to join United and work alongside the likes of Omar Berrada, Jason Wilcox and Ratcliffe. However, the latter later said it didn't work out because of "chemistry".
Ashworth is now back with the FA and will lead their high-performance strategy and new-look St. George's Park. He is no stranger to the FA after serving as their director of elite development and then technical director between 2013 and 2019 prior to joining Brighton & Hove Albion.
His new role will see him have a strategic oversight across England men's and women's teams. The FA has confirmed 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 ahead of England co-hosting the European Championship in 2028.
On Ashworth's appointment, FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said: "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."
Reporting into Bullingham, Ashworth will work closely with men's technical director John McDermott and Kay Cossington's successor in the women's technical directorate.
The England women's team will be hoping to retain their European Championship crown in Switzerland this summer, while the men's team, under the guidance of Thomas Tuchel, will be targeting World Cup success in just over a year's time.
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