Dan Ashworth

Dan Ashworth born 6 March 1971 is an English football director Currently he is working as sporting director for Premier League club Newcastle United previously he worked as technical director for West Bromwich Albion and Brighton and Hove Albion and was FA director of elite development Ashworth studied at the College of West Anglia from 1987 to 1989 After time in the academy at Norwich City Ashworth joined nonleague club Eastbourne Town playing 21 games and scoring 4 goals before moving across to St Leonards Ashworth later spent time in the United States coaching West Florida Fury before returning to England to play for Wisbech Town Ashworth left Wisbech in the autumn of 2000 following financial problems at the club Ashworth continued to be involved with football after retiring as a player and was appointed academy director at Peterborough United in 2000 In 2001 he went on to become center of excellence director at Cambridge United until March 2004 when he moved to West Bromwich Albion assisting youth team manager Aidy Boothroyd After Boothroyds departure in the July of that year he took over as youth team manager until he was promoted to the clubs sporting and technical director in December 2007 On 17 September 2012 Ashworth was appointed as the FA director of elite development He is one of the creators of the England DNA an elite player development plan which aims to help create winning senior teams in the mens and the womens game In August 2018 it was reported that Ashworth has been shortlisted by Manchester United as a candidate for the technical director In September 2018 it was announced that Ashworth had resigned his role with the FA and would take up the post of Technical Director at Premier League club Brighton Hove Albion in spring 2019 In February 2022 it was confirmed that Ashworth had agreed to join Premier League club Newcastle United taking up the post of Sporting Director