The FA installs Harrington at St. George’s Park

The Football Association (FA) has appointed Julie Harrington as managing director of St. George’s Park, England’s new national soccer centre.

The 42-year-old will join The FA in March 2012 after leaving her position as operations director at horse racing and events operator Northern Racing, where she was responsible for the delivery of the business plan for ten racecourses across the UK.

In her new role, Harrington will oversee the day-to-day operations of the centre being built in Burton upon Trent, which will be the training home of the 24 England national teams and a national coach education, development and sports medicine centre for soccer, sport and business.

Commenting on her appointment, Harrington said: “The facility taking shape in Burton will be truly inspirational and a fantastic asset to The FA, football as a whole and the region. The opportunity to be part of the future development of our national game is a challenge I relish and feel privileged to be given.”

David Sheepshanks, chairman of St. George’s Park, added: “Julie has a first class record of creating customer focused, high performance teams that deliver excellent results. Her background and understanding of the sporting world and experience of working alongside the business community, the media and government will stand her in good stead.”