Ian Foster (footballer)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Ian Foster (footballer) is an English football coach and former professional player, born 11 November 1976 in Whiston, Merseyside. He played as a striker and began at Liverpool’s academy before a career mostly in the lower leagues.

Playing career (highlights)
- Clubs included Hereford United, Barrow, Kidderminster Harriers, Chester City and Galway United, among others.
- Total senior club appearances: 258 with 49 goals.
- Won Conference National titles with Kidderminster Harriers (1999–2000) and Chester City (2003–04).

Coaching and managerial career
- Galway United: joined in 2008 as assistant manager, became manager in 2009, and helped the club stay in the Premier Division.
- Dundalk: appointed manager in 2009, kept the club in the top division and reached the Setanta Cup final.
- Coventry City: First Team Coach from 2013, working with managers including Lee Carsley and Steven Pressley; helped develop players who later earned international caps.
- Portsmouth: joined as first team coach in 2015; helped the club reach the play-offs and win the League Two title in 2016–17; left in 2017 for the FA.
- England youth roles: National Specialist (Out of Possession) for England Under-17s in 2017; Head Coach of England Under-18s (2019–2020); England Under-19s (2020–2022); England Under-20s (from 2022). Played a part in England’s youth success, including winning the 2022 UEFA Under-19 European Championship and preparing squads for major tournaments.
- Al-Ettifaq: left the FA in July 2023 to work with Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia.
- Plymouth Argyle: appointed head coach in January 2024, but was dismissed on 1 April 2024 after a run of poor results (1 win in 12 games).

Honours
- As a player: Conference National titles with Kidderminster Harriers (1999–2000) and Chester City (2003–04).
- As a manager: England Under-19s won the UEFA European Championship in 2022.