Andrew Crean has been appointed Chief Financial Officer of The FA Group.

Crean, who has been Group Finance Director of The Jockey Club for the past two and a half years, will take up his new role at Wembley Stadium in April 2013.

He will replace Mark Donnelly, who is leaving The FA to become Chief Operating Officer at Premier League club Queen’s Park Rangers.

The FA has just entered a landmark year, with 2013 marking 150 years since its foundation in October 1863. Crean will be responsible for building on the increasing financial stability across The FA Group, Wembley’s improved trading position, with 30 major events planned this year alone, and the early success of the state of the art national football centre St. George’s Park.

FA General Secretary Alex Horne said: “I am delighted to welcome Andrew to The FA. It is an extremely exciting time for the organisation with plenty going on across all levels of the game.

"Our notable anniversary is being used to highlight the £100m we reinvest into football every year and our commitment to the grassroots. Andrew’s work will help us to further this important area of focus.

“I am confident Andrew will be able to add his considerable experience and expertise to the financial performance of the Group, including the strong risk and business management processes we have in place.

"He will also be responsible for the HR, IT and Legal departments and I have no doubt his energy and enthusiasm will be welcomed by all staff.”

Crean joined The Jockey Club, British horseracing's largest commercial group which runs the likes of Cheltenham, Aintree, Epsom Downs and Newmarket racecourses, in September 2010. Previously he spent ten years with Compass Group plc, where he was Finance and Commercial Director of its £300m Sport, Leisure and Hospitality division.

Andrew Crean said: "I’m really looking forward to the challenge of joining The FA at an important time for the organisation and in its 150th anniversary year. It’s a fantastic role and an opportunity I’m grateful for.

"Like many people in this country, I'm a lifelong football fan, so to be involved professionally at the heart of the nation's sport is very exciting.

"At the same time I’m very sad I’ll be leaving a great team of people. The journey The Jockey Club is on commercially is something I’ve really enjoyed being part of.

"Every penny the Group makes goes back into growing Britain's second biggest spectator sport and I'm sure there are many successful years ahead for both The Jockey Club and British racing.”

Simon Bazalgette, Group Chief Executive of The Jockey Club, said: "Andrew has done a great job for us since we recruited him in 2010 from our catering joint venture partner, Compass. We'll be sorry to see him go later in the year and he will do so with our thanks and very best wishes.

"The FA headhunting Andrew for this executive position is testament to his ability and, we're told, down to word being out within the sports industry about the good things going on at The Jockey Club.

"Andrew has made an important contribution to our success to date and we will look to build on it in the future. We will now launch a process to recruit a Group Finance Director for The Jockey Club of the very highest calibre to join our senior executive team."