Ashworth returns to FA as Chief Football Officer
Written by
Training Ground Guru
May 14, 2025
Dan Ashworth has returned to The Football Association to become their first Chief Football Officer.
In his new role, Ashworth will lead high-performance strategy and the new-look St George’s Park. Ashworth, who was our guest on Episode #20 of the TGG Podcast, was previously the FA’s Director of Elite Development and then Technical Director between 2013 and 2019.
After that, he was Technical Director at Brighton and Sporting Director at Newcastle United and Manchester United. His role with United lasted only five months, despite the club having had protracted and expensive negotiations with Newcastle to release him from his contract.
The new role will have “strategic oversight across England men’s and women’s teams.,” The FA said, while he will also oversee regeneration of St George’s Park, which will undergo a significant upgrade to its facilities and pitches as England prepare to co-host Euro 2028.
Ashworth will report into FA CEO Mark Bullingham and work closely with Men’s Technical Director John McDermott and Kay Cossington’s successor as Women’s Technical Director.
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.”
Ashworth also appeared on the Sporting Director panel at our TGG Live Conference in 2023, covering a range of topics, including how he tackled the first 90 days in a new job. You can watch the session below.
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