Aidy Boothroyd is to leave his role as a national-team coach after a seven-year spell in which he guided England to three successive UEFA U21 EURO tournaments.
Boothroyd, who took the Young Lions to within a penalty shootout of 2017's U21 EURO final and followed that up by winning the 2018 Toulon Tournament, has particularly played a pivotal role in helping nurture young talent through the player pathway and into the senior squad.
Having initially joined the St. George’s Park set-up in February 2014, Boothroyd has decided to move on after the disappointment of the recent U21 EURO in Slovenia.
A last-gasp Croatia consolation in England’s 2-1 group-stage victory meant they just missed out on a place in May’s quarter-finals. With his current contract finishing this summer, Boothroyd felt the time was right to focus on a return to club football.
Boothroyd said: “It's been the greatest privilege to represent the FA and lead England teams into high-profile tournaments. While we didn’t finish in the way we wanted, I'm very proud to have been able to work so closely with players who I know will go on to have remarkable international careers and to have experienced some very special moments with them over the years.
"I'd like to thank my staff and all of the incredible support team that have done so much to help us remain competitive against other elite nations. In every single get-together they embraced our unique challenge of rightly prioritising the needs of the senior team while ensuring we gave our all to try and get a positive performance and result.”
His England coaching career began with Boothroyd initially working across different development teams including the U19s and U20s before succeeding Gareth Southgate with the U21s in early 2017.
A previous role with the U19s notably saw Boothroyd steer that year group to qualification for the 2017 FIFA U20 World Cup, beating France, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands along the way, a tournament they would ultimately win the following summer.
Gareth Southgate, manager of England's senior men's team, said: "I’d like to thank Aidy for his wholehearted support and dedication to developing English players and coaches across the last seven years.
"His pride in working with all of our development teams has shone through and his support of the senior team has been greatly appreciated. I wish him every success on the next step of his career.”
John McDermott, our technical director, added: "Aidy has been a great servant for our England teams and is widely respected across the game for the work he has done towards our overall aim of winning a major tournament. His passion and professionalism for the job has always shone through and I know how much he has given to every team he has worked with.
"Of course, our final result did not end in the way we had all hoped but his legacy will be that he gave everything for the squad to be successful and his commitment to developing young players is unquestioned. I fully respect and understand Aidy’s decision to want to return to club football and I'm sure he will continue to be a regular visitor to St. George’s Park. I know I speak on behalf of all my colleagues who wish him all the very best with his next role."
The FA will now begin a formal open process to recruit Boothroyd’s successor, with the qualification programme for the 2023 UEFA U21 EURO – to be played in Georgia and Romania – not set to begin until September this year.
