England U17 head coach Steve Cooper has been allowed to leave his role to join Swansea City.
Cooper joined back in 2013, working as a coach educator before moving to the England development teams initially with the U16s and eventually becoming U17s head coach in 2015.
Under his management, the Young Lions won the 2017 FIFA U17 World Cup and finished runners-up in that year’s UEFA European U17 Championship.
“I take a great deal of pride in what we achieved, not just in winning the World Cup but in building a culture of success and progress,” said Cooper, after his departure.
“I’m so thankful for the opportunity given to me and grateful to have worked with so many fantastic people within The FA.
“There’s something special about working for The FA and it has helped shape me as a coach and I’ll never forget the great times we’ve all enjoyed.”
England specialist coach Mike Marsh has also been given permission to join Swansea City, after three years working alongside Cooper.
FA technical director Les Reed added: “I would like to place on record our thanks to Steve and Mike for their outstanding work and achievements here at The FA.
“One of our key objectives is for the England senior team being ready to win the World Cup in 2022 and both Steve and Mike played a pivotal part in that – developing players and our teams as we work towards that goal.
“They both fully embraced the work being done at St. George’s Park around coaching and the player pathway and are innovative and collaborative coaches.
“Of course, their landmark moment was winning the U17 World Cup and showing that England teams can achieve great things on the international stage.
“Steve and Mike leave The FA with the best wishes of everyone and are always welcome back here at St. George’s Park.”
We will begin a recruitment process for a new national head coach and specialist coach next week.
