Official: Ashworth joins the FA and becomes the first football director of the FA

On May 14, official news, former Newcastle and Manchester United sports director Dan Asheworth joined the FA to serve as the first football director of the FA. He will be responsible for leading high-performance strategy and innovation at the St. George's Park training base.

Ashworth served as the FA Elite Development Director and Technical Director from 2013 to 2019. After playing for three Premier League clubs in succession, he returned to the FA to take up this new position, comprehensively coordinating the strategic development of the English men's football team and women's football team.

As England prepares to co-host the 2028 European Cup, he will also lead the upgrade and renovation of the St. George's Park training base, making major improvements to the facilities and venues of this world-class training base.

Ashworth will report directly to FA CEO Mark Bringham and work closely with men's football technical director John McDermott and the new women's football technical director. The focus of its work will focus on fully unleashing the potential of the National Football Center and building a long-term system to support the FA's competitive ambitions, from building a winning national team to cultivating more local coaches.

Bringham said: "Ashworth is an influential and respected figure in the football world and has a long-term commitment to the cause of football in England, and we are very happy to welcome him back in this new role."