Pearce joins The FA on a two-year full-time contract running up until the conclusion of the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

Pearce coached the team on a part-time basis during the second half of the 2006-2007 season, including the European Championship in Holland last month when the England were narrowly defeated on penalties at the Semi-Final stage.

Stuart Pearce said: "I thoroughly enjoyed working with the Under-21s last season and I'm delighted to be taking on the role for the next two years.

"By taking the job on full-time, I will be able to build close relationships with clubs and the coaches of the other England youth teams.

"I'm looking forward to the challenge of qualification for the 2009 Finals and working hard with everyone else at The FA and within the game to develop future England internationals.

"It was a privilege to work with the young players in the Euros in Holland this summer and many of those players are still available for the Under-21s and will form the core of the squad which we will be building over the next two years."

Sir Trevor Brooking, The FA's Director of Football Development, added: "Stuart did an excellent job with the Under-21s last season and they came incredibly close to reaching the Final in Holland.

"Stuart's record and achievements as a player set a great example for any young player. And as a coach he already has a wealth of experience at the top level including taking all of his coaching badges with The FA right through to the Pro Licence.

"Stuart will be a superb addition to our coaching team working with the young players who we hope will become the England internationals of the future."

As a player, Stuart Pearce won 78 caps for England between 1987 and 1999 in a career that included spells at Coventry City, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United, West Ham United and Manchester City.

His coaching career included a short spell as caretaker manager at Nottingham Forest in the 1996-97 season. Pearce joined the coaching staff at Manchester City in 2002 becoming caretaker manager in March 2005.

He was formally appointed as manager in May 2005 leaving the club at the end of the 2006-07 season. Pearce was first named as part-time Under-21s Coach on 1 February 2007.

Pearce's first match of the new season will be a friendly against Romania at Bristol City's Ashton Gate on Tuesday 21 August.

Tickets are on sale now priced just £10 adults and £5 concessions from the Ticket Hotline 0871 222 6666 or in person from Ashton Gate.

The match will be followed by the first Euro 2009 qualifiers in September. England will travel to face Montenegro on Friday 7 September and Bulgaria on Tuesday 11 September.