Who is Dan Ashworth?

Warwickshire have recruited Brighton and Hove Albion's technical director in a part-time capacity to sit on their cricket audit committee

Following the news that Warwickshire have recruited Dan Ashworth, Brighton and Hove Albion’s technical director, to join the county’s cricket audit committee on a part-time basis, this is all you need to know about his intriguing arrangement with the County Championship and Bob Willis Trophy winners.

Who is Dan Ashworth?

Those who like their football may well have already come across him, even if roles don’t always produce household names. The 50-year-old came through the youth system at Norwich City as a young defender before turning his hand to off-field matters.

Where has he worked before?

The first thing to say is that this is an honorary role alongside his full-time post at Brighton and Hove Albion as technical director, where he has been since 2019, having moved to the Amex Stadium after fulfilling the same role for the FA. There, he was credited with playing a major part in the development of a successful era for the national team.

“In terms of the work of a technical director, I don’t think he could have had a bigger impact with the plans he put in place at the FA and the way that the national teams have progressed in the time Dan has been in charge,” said Gareth Southgate upon Ashworth’s departure.

“That’s coupled with the transition into St George’s Park and the outstanding staff structure he’s put in place. I think he can be really proud.”

In 2017, Dame Heather Rabbatts – a former member of the FA board – had described Ashworth’s position as “untenable” amid claims that due diligence had not been carried out when appointing Mark Sampson as England Women’s manager in 2013. Ashworth had played a role in the appointment of Sampson, who was sacked after evidence emerged of “inappropriate and unacceptable” behaviour in a previous role with Bristol Academy.

^{Dan Ashworth was responsible at the FA for helping to create an "England DNA" philosophy}

Ashworth stayed on, however, even as he was reported to be on Manchester United’s shortlist for a technical director in 2018. During his tenure, England achieved men’s World Cup wins at under-17 and under-20 level, while at senior level the men’s team finished fourth at the 2018 World Cup and the women’s team came third at the 2015 World Cup. On account of their results at junior level, England were awarded the Maurice Burlaz Trophy, given to the country to achieve the best results in UEFA men’s youth competitions over the previous two seasons.

He only arrived at the FA after forging a reputation at West Bromwich Albion, where he initially worked with the youth team after joining from Cambridge United in 2004, having started out as academy director at Peterborough United. In 2007, he became the club’s sporting and technical director.

How does he fit in at Warwickshire?

He has been recruited to sit on the county’s cricket audit committee that accounts for the club’s elite teams and high-performance structure. At present, it includes director of cricket Paul Farbrace, chief executive Stuart Cain, chairman Mark McCafferty and longstanding members John Dodge and Jon Winspear.

Ashworth, who is still based in the Midlands after his time with West Brom, will also mentor the club’s coaches and cricket management team, which itself includes Women’s World Cup-winning head coach Mark Robinson, Farbrace and bowling coach Graeme Welch, who has worked with England’s bowlers at times during the last 12 months.

He is joining a club perhaps in its best shape for some time, as red-ball double winners and with a squad full of young talent, having enjoyed their success this summer seemingly ahead of schedule.

This was expected to be a transitionary year following the retirements of local legends Ian Bell, Jeetan Patel and Tim Ambrose, but young opener Rob Yates – who is combining his role at the top of the order with a university degree – and seamer Liam Norwell impressed sufficiently to be included in the England Lions squad to tour Australia this winter. Danny Briggs, an astute signing from Sussex at the end of last season, signed a contract extension on Wednesday as a nod to how well his move has played out.

“It’s a young team and an exciting team,” said Robinson ahead of the campaign. “It’s the beginning of something and that’s always a really good thing to be a part of as a coach, when you start something which will hopefully become something special.”

He is far from the first cross-coder at Warwickshire: CEO Cain arrived from Premiership Rugby outfit Wasps, while more than a decade ago Farbrace enlisted Simon Smith, who was then England’s goalkeeping coach, to help out with the national squad’s wicketkeepers. Neil Snowball, Cain’s predecessor at Edgbaston, was on the organising committees for the 2015 Rugby World Cup and the 2012 Olympic Games.

What has been said?

Cain explained: “We want to create the best high-performance structure and culture within the game, which will help us to produce Warwickshire teams that can consistently win and challenge for trophies across senior and county age group levels. The club prides itself on being innovative and we have no hesitation in looking beyond traditional cricket circles to achieve our goals.

“Dan has been working at the highest level of football for several years and he has been instrumental in developing teams that have achieved success on the world stage. Being able to tap into his skills, experience and vision for creating success could be game-changing for Warwickshire CCC.”