Former Baggies chief Dan's the man back at FA

WEST Bromwich Albion's former sporting and technical director, Dan Ashworth, has returned to work for the FA in a newly created chief football officer role.

- By SAM ALLEN

The 54-year-old, who worked at Albion in various roles between 2004 and 2012, was first with the FA as director of elite development. He is one of the creators of the "England DNA," an elite player development plan that aimed "to help create winning senior teams, in the men's and the women's game."

He left the Baggies to join the FA for the first time, serving Albion firstly as an academy manager, originally alongside Aidy Boothroyd, until being promoted to a director role in 2007.

In that role, he oversaw a successful period in the club's history as they were promoted from the Championship twice and then consolidated in the Premier League the second time round.