Hope Powell, the former England women’s manager, has been appointed as a technical advisor for the men’s Under-20 World Cup. Powell, who managed the Lionesses between 1998 and 2013, will be part of the Three Lions backroom team for the tournament which begins on Saturday in Argentina. Ian Foster, England U20s coach, said that Powell’s “vast experience of international football and the knowledge she has from working with Fifa will be invaluable”. England will face Tunisia in their group-stage opener on Monday.
Powell has achieved great success during her career, leading England’s women to the 2009 European Championship final, where they lost to Germany, and two World Cups. She also coached the Great Britain women’s team at the London 2012 Olympic Games and was most recently in charge of Women’s Super League (WSL) side Brighton between 2017 and 2022. Her appointment is supported by the England Elite Coach Programme, a partnership between the Football Association (FA) and players’ union the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA). This programme aims to create opportunities for support staff and coaches from under-represented groups to work with the England national teams.