Ian Foster (born 11 November 1976) is an English football coach and former professional player. He is the current England Men's U20s head coach.

Playing career

Foster began his career at the Liverpool FC Academy working under the tutelage of

Steve Heighway Stephen Derek Heighway (born 25 November 1947) is an Irish former footballer who was part of the hugely successful Liverpool team of the 1970s. Following his eleven-year spell at the club, he has been regarded by some as one of the greatest Live ...

and Sammy Lee. He spent the majority of his playing career in the lower leagues of English football, enjoying success at clubs such as

Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'The ...

, Chester City and

Kidderminster Harriers Kidderminster Harriers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. The team compete in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. Formed in ...

League 2 The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

of the EFL and the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

Managerial career

Ireland

Galway United

Foster joined

League of Ireland Premier Division The League of Ireland Premier Division ( ga, Príomhroinn Sraith na hÉireann), also known as the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is the top level division in both the League of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland f ...

club

Galway United Galway United Football Club (Irish language, Irish: ''Cumann Peile Ghaillimh Aontaithe'') is an List of association football clubs in the Republic of Ireland, Irish association football club based in Galway. They play in the League of Ireland Fi ...

in May 2008 as assistant manager to Jeff Kenna. The duo were tasked with retention of the club's Premier Division status, which they duly achieved. Upon Kenna's departure to Saint Patrick's Athletic in January 2009, Foster was appointed manager of the club and led the club once again to Premier Division safety in the 2009 season.

Dundalk FC

Following the successful stint at Galway United, Foster was appointed manager of newly promoted

Dundalk FC Dundalk Football Club ( ; ga, Cumann Peile Dhún Dealgan) is a professional association football club that competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top tier of football in the Republic of Ireland. The club is based in Dundalk ...

in December 2009. In his first season in charge (2010), he not only led the Lilywhites to safety but also to their first

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

campaign since the 2002/03 season. He remained in post for the 2011 season and again secured Premier Division status for the club whilst also guiding Dundalk to the All Ireland (Setanta) Cup Final. During his time in Ireland, Foster completed a number of coaching qualifications, including the

UEFA Pro Licence UEFA, the governing body for football in Europe, mandates several coaching licences for professional managers, each valid for coaching at a certain level. These include the UEFA Pro Licence, the UEFA A Licence, and the UEFA B Licence. They are iss ...

. As part of the 2011 English FA cohort, he graduated alongside alumni including

Ole Gunnar Solskjær Ole Gunnar Solskjær (; born 26 February 1973) is a Norwegian professional football manager and former player who played as a forward who last managed Premier League club Manchester United. As a player, Solskjær spent the majority of his care ...

and

Gianfranco Zola Gianfranco Zola (; born 5 July 1966) is an Italian football manager and former footballer who played predominantly as a forward. He was most recently the assistant manager of Chelsea. He spent the first decade of his playing career playing in ...

England Club career

Coventry City

Citing family circumstances, Foster returned to England to resume his coaching career. In August 2012, he took on a wide-ranging role at

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...

working initially with the U18 and then U21 squads. Upon the departure of manager Mark Robins to

Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. The ...

in February 2013, Foster was appointed First Team Coach, initially working alongside

Lee Carsley Lee Kevin Carsley (born 28 February 1974) is a former professional footballer who is head coach of England U21. In a playing career lasting 17 years, he is best remembered for his spells as a midfielder in the Premier League and Football Leagu ...

and subsequently

Steven Pressley Steven John Pressley (born 11 October 1973) is a Scottish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who played as a centre back. He was most recently the manager (association football), mana ...

. During his tenure at the club he oversaw the development of a number of players who went on to earn full international honours, including

James Maddison James Daniel Maddison (born 23 November 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for club Leicester City and the England national team. Maddison began his career with Coventry City before joining Norw ...

Callum Wilson Callum Eddie Graham Wilson (born 27 February 1992) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Newcastle United and the England national team. Early life Wilson was born in Coventry, West Midlands. H ...

, John Fleck and

Cyrus Christie Cyrus Sylvester Frederick Christie (born 30 September 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Championship club Hull City and the Republic of Ireland national team. Early and personal life Christie was born in Coventry, ...

Portsmouth FC

In May 2015, Foster was appointed by manager

Paul Cook Paul Thomas Cook (born 20 July 1956) is an English drummer and member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He was also called "Cookie" by his friends on the punk music scene. Early life and career Cook was raised in Hammersmith and atte ...

as First Team Coach at then-League Two

Portsmouth FC Portsmouth Football Club is a professional football club based in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, which compete in . They are also known as ''Pompey'', a local nickname used by both HMNB Portsmouth and the city of Portsmouth; the ''Pompey'' nick ...

. In the season prior to Cook's arrival the club finished in 16th position, with the new coaching team guiding the club to a play-off position (6th) in the 2015/16 season. The following season saw Foster play an instrumental role in the title-winning 2016/2017 season. Foster left the club in February 2017 to take up a position with the

English FA The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the ...

England National Team career

England Men's U17s Foster was appointed to the role of National Specialist (Out Of Possession) Coach to the England Men's U17 Football Team in February 2017. Working with Steve Cooper and Mike Marsh, the age group embarked on arguably the most successful period in its history. In May 2017, the team qualified for the UEFA Men's U17 European Championships, held in

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. They lost the final on penalties to

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, before gaining revenge in the FIFA Men's U17 World Cup in India, winning the trophy by beating the same opponents in the final 5–2. May 2018 saw the U17s once again qualify for the European Championships in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, losing in the Semi Final on penalties to eventual winners the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. The U17s again qualified for the European Championships in 2019 in Ireland, reaching the group stages. England Men's U18s In August 2019, Foster was named as Head Coach of England Men's U18s. Despite a heavily disrupted season due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, his first season in charge was a successful one, with a record of 7 wins and 2 draws from 9 games played during international breaks. England Men's U19s Foster subsequently moved up to become Head Coach of England Men's U19s in September 2020. November 2021 saw the team qualify for the Elite Round of the 2022 Under-19 European Championship, topping their qualification group. They went on to win their 3 Elite Round games in March 2022, thus qualifying for the Finals in

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

in June 2022, and were the only team to qualify from the Elite Round with a 100% win rate. They further boasted the best defensive record in the competition, conceding only one goal in their six qualification matches. England u19s went on to win to 2022 edition of the u19 European Championships, beating

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

(3-1 AET) in the Final at the

Anton Malatinský Stadium Anton Malatinský Stadium ( sk, Štadión Antona Malatinského) is a football stadium located in Trnava, Slovakia, which is the home ground of the local football club Spartak Trnava. The stadium was completely renovated in 2013–2015 and has an ...

Trnava Trnava (, german: Tyrnau; hu, Nagyszombat, also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, to the northeast of Bratislava, on the Trnávka river. It is the capital of a ''kraj'' (Trnava Region) and of an '' okres'' (Trna ...

, Slovakia. By virtue of their performance in tournament, they qualified for the

2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup will be the 23rd edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, the biennial international men's youth football championship contested by the under-20 national teams of the member associations of FIFA, since its inception in 197 ...

, due to be held in Indonesia in May-June 2023. During his time within the England Men's coaching set-up, Foster has played a role in the development of a number of players who have achieved full international status, including

Phil Foden Philip Walter Foden (born 28 May 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Manchester City and the England national team. He is considered one of the best young players in the world. Foden's breakthrough ...

Jadon Sancho Jadon Malik Sancho (born 25 March 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Manchester United and the England national team. Widely regarded as one of the best young players in the world, he is known for his ...

Callum Hudson-Odoi Callum James Hudson-Odoi (born 7 November 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for German Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen, on loan from club Chelsea. During his time with Chelsea's academy, Hudson-Odoi was part o ...

Mason Greenwood Mason Will John Greenwood (born 1 October 2001) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Manchester United. A graduate of United's youth system, Greenwood scored in a UEFA Europa League match against Astana in S ...

Conor Gallagher Conor John Gallagher (born 6 February 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Chelsea and the England national team. Beginning his career with Chelsea, Gallagher spent time on loan at EFL ...

Emile Smith Rowe Emile Smith Rowe (born 28 July 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for club Arsenal and the England national team. Smith Rowe was a highly anticipated youth player at Arsenal, whilst a ...

and

Yunus Musah Yunus Dimoara Musah (born November 29, 2002) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Valencia and the United States national team. Born in the United States to Ghanaian parents, he grew up mostly i ...

. England Senior Women Foster also held the role of England Senior Women's Assistant Coach, working alongside Head Coach

Phil Neville Philip John Neville (born 21 January 1977) is an English football manager and former player, who is the head coach of MLS team Inter Miami CF. He is also the co-owner of Salford City, along with several of his former Manchester United teammate ...

. England Men's U20s On 16 August 2022, it was confirmed that Foster would take charge of the England U20s ahead of the

Managerial Record

Honours (Playing)

Kidderminster Harriers

* Conference National Champions: 1999-2000

Chester City

* Conference National Champions: 2003-2004

Honours (Coaching)

Portsmouth (1st Team Coach)

* EFL League Two Champions: 2016-2017

England (National Specialist Coach)

* FIFA u17 World Cup Winners: 2017

England (Head Coach - Men's u19)

* UEFA u19 European Championship Winners: 2022

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Ian 1976 births Living people People from Whiston, Merseyside Association football forwards English Football League players National League (English football) players English footballers Liverpool F.C. players Barrow A.F.C. players Hereford United F.C. players Chester City F.C. players Kidderminster Harriers F.C. players Forest Green Rovers F.C. players Galway United F.C. (1937–2011) players Galway United F.C. managers Dundalk F.C. managers League of Ireland managers League of Ireland players English football managers Association football physiotherapists Portsmouth F.C. non-playing staff