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England technical director Dan Ashworth leaving Football Association to take role at Brighton

The Football Association's technical director Dan Ashworth will leave his role and join Brighton, the Premier League club have announced.

Ashworth will become the Seagulls' technical director in the spring after calling an end to his six-year career with the FA.

The 47-year-old's departure from the England national team set-up will come as a blow following a string of successes during his tenure. Ashworth, the architect of the England DNA programme, was integral behind World Cup wins at men's under-17 and U20 levels while the women's senior team finished third at the 2015 tournament.

His most notable success came in the summer as Gareth Southgate's England reached the semifinal of the World Cup for only the second time since winning the tournament in 1966.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at The Football Association, and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the chairman Greg Clarke, CEO Martin Glenn, England managers Gareth Southgate and Phil Neville, as well as the coaches and staff at all levels who have supported me so well," Ashworth said.

"The success we have had with our national teams is down to careful planning and high performance from the players, but also the hard work and professionalism of a lot of people over a sustained period of time, and of course the relationship we have had with the clubs, the leagues and the National Game. It's been an honour and great pleasure to serve my country in the past half-decade."

Paul Barber, Albion's chief executive, added: "We've been delighted with the progress we've made across the club with all our teams over recent seasons, and our aim is that Dan's arrival will help us to build on the great work that's already been done here."

Ashworth has represented Norwich, Peterborough, Cambridge and West Brom in various development roles. He left the Hawthorns in 2013 for his current role at The FA.

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