Aidy Boothroyd

Boothroyd was born in Eccleshill, West Riding of Yorkshire. He started as a youth team player at Huddersfield Town and made his first team debut for the club in 1989. He played 10 league matches before moving on to Bristol Rovers in 1990, where he played 16 games. In November 1992, Boothroyd was granted a release by Bristol Rovers, leading to a trial with Heart of Midlothian. After a successful trial at the Jam Tarts, he signed a 18 month contract with the club. Boothroyd scored two goals against Huntly in a 6–0 win in the Scottish Cup on 11 January 1993. After a short spell in Scotland with Heart of Midlothian, he signed for Mansfield Town, where he played 102 matches, scoring 3 goals in the process. He left the club in 1996 to play for Peterborough United. Boothroyd picked up a career-ending injury after playing 26 games and scoring a single goal. He retired from the game in 1998.

After ending his playing career at Peterborough United, Boothroyd was appointed coach of the Under 17, Under 19 and reserve teams at the club. His tactical nous and drive impressed, and he left Peterborough in 2001 to join Norwich City as their youth team coach under Nigel Worthington. After two years at Carrow Road, Boothroyd assumed the positions of Youth Development Officer and Technical Director at West Bromwich Albion, joining in October 2003. A short spell at The Hawthorns ended, when he was appointed first-team coach at Leeds United in July 2004,

Watford

Boothroyd was appointed manager of Watford in March 2005 at the age of 34. The board backed their decision despite initial scepticism by Watford fans and the club entered a new era under Boothroyd. He managed to steer the club clear of relegation, with 1–0 victories over Stoke City and Rotherham United. At the beginning of the 2005–06 season, Boothroyd said that his aim for the forthcoming campaign would be promotion to the Premier League, although many pundits regarded the club as likely to be relegated. As the season progressed, though, the side gained more and more confidence, and finished in third place to secure a place in the play-offs. After overcoming Crystal Palace in the two-legged semi-final, Watford beat Leeds United 3–0 in the final to secure promotion to the Premier League. The rapid improvement in Watford's results in his first season in charge led to Boothroyd winning the Championship…

On 26 March 2025, Boothroyd publicly revealed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in November 2021 during a routine health check.

Managerial

Watford

Football League Championship play-offs: 2006 England U21

Toulon Tournament: 2018