Brian Barwick has begun his tenure as the new chief executive officer of the Football Association (FA).

Barwick, who was previously controller of ITV Sport, following 18 years at the BBC, took up his position with the FA on 31 January 2005.

Speaking after his first day in office, Barwick said: “I’ve been associated with football more or less throughout the 25 years I have worked in television sport.

“Last year I turned 50 and I felt I wanted to put something back into football as it has given me a great life and offered me wonderful opportunities. I see this job as a chance to take football to the next level.”

As one of his first tasks, Barwick hopes to unify the game and said he will attempt to create a feeling of “one game, one voice” within all forms of football across the UK.

He said: “I am not a great fan of branding, especially when it comes to football, but I would like to promote the idea of the game having one unified voice – from the grassroots and park games all the way up to the Premiership.”

The FA appointed Barwick last November after the resignation of the previous chief executive, Mark Palios.

Palios resigned in August following allegations that he attempted to hide details of his relationship with FA secretary, Faria Alam, in exchange for offering details of England manager Sven Göran Eriksson’s affair with Alam.