Hannah Dingley Forest Green Rovers caretaker manager

Forest Green Rovers make history by naming first female boss of a men’s professional football side

July 5, 2023 Sports 3 Views

Forest Green Rovers have announced Hannah Dingley as the club’s new caretaker boss, making her the first woman in history to manage a professional men’s team in English football.

Dingley takes temporary charge of the League Two side after Duncan Ferguson was sacked on Tuesday, just days into preseason. Her first match in charge will be on Wednesday night, when Forest Green play Melksham Town in a friendly.

The 39-year-old said: “I’m really excited for this next step of my career. Pre-season has just begun, and the full season kicks off very soon.

“It’s an exciting time in football. I am grateful for the opportunity to step up and lead such a progressive and forward-thinking club.”

Currently the club’s academy head coach, Dingley also became the only woman to manage a men’s English Football League academy when she took over Forest Green’s academy in 2019.

Forest Green chairman Dale Vince said: “Hannah was the natural choice for us to be first team interim head coach – she’s done a fantastic job leading our academy and is well aligned with the values of the club.

“It’s perhaps telling for the men’s game that in making this appointment on merit, we’ll break new ground – and Hannah will be the first female head coach in English [men’s] football.”

Taking over with immediate effect, Dingley has a UEFA Pro Licence, and has previously worked at Burton Albion in both their academy and first-team set-up.

Following Duncan Ferguson’s departure, Vince also thanked him for his efforts in attempting to keep the club in League One at the end of last season.

Vince said: “It’d been a privilege to work with Dunc these last few months and this was a very difficult decision to make. I’m grateful to Dunc for joining us in such difficult circumstances and for all of his hard work at the club.

“But I feel this is overall the right decision for everyone and I wish Dunc well in his next coaching role. We are parting as friends. You can’t ask for much more than that.”