Watmore appointed

The FA Board interviewed three candidates in London yesterday. Following the meeting, Mr Watmore, 50, was offered the role. He has accepted the offer and is expected to take up the position at The FA in June.

Watmore joins The FA from his post as Permanent Secretary for the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. Prior to this he was Head of the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit in Number 10, and previously in the Cabinet Office as Government Chief Information Officer.

He joined the Civil Service after 24 years in the IT industry in 2004 from Accenture, where he was UK Managing Director.

He holds a degree in mathematics and management studies from Trinity College, Cambridge.

The FA Chairman, Lord Triesman, said: "The FA Board are delighted to have appointed an outstanding new Chief Executive and we look forward to Ian joining us.

"We had a very strong shortlist of candidates, but in Ian we have the right person to lead the organisation as Chief Executive Officer.

"The FA is committed to maximising participation across all levels of football in this country, helping the England teams and our clubs achieve success on the pitch, while also being trusted to govern the game."

Ian Watmore said: "I'm delighted to be joining The Football Association as Chief Executive. It's a great challenge and one I'm really looking forward to. With Lord Triesman and the Board, Fabio Capello and The FA's staff, I want to ensure we are achieving success on and off the pitch across all levels of the game."

He is on the Board of the English Institute for Sport, a Lottery and Sport England funded body focused on helping to prepare high performance athletes for the Olympics and other major sporting events.

He is married with four sons and is a lifelong Arsenal supporter. He now lives in the North West and watches Altrincham in the Conference when he is not watching his sons playing in the Cheshire/South Manchester leagues.

Note to Media
As Mr Watmore is not anticipated to start in his role until June, he will not be available for interviews until he starts work with The FA.