FOREST GREEN ROVERS have made history by appointing the first woman to lead a men’s team in English professional football.
Hannah Dingley has been placed in interim charge of the League Two club following Duncan Ferguson’s departure.
Ferguson left the Gloucestershire club on Tuesday following six months in charge, during which time he failed to keep them in League One.
Dingley took charge of first-team training on Tuesday and will continue to lead pre-season preparations.
It is understood she will continue in the role during the search for Ferguson’s replacement.
She is set to be in the dugout for Rovers’ first pre-season friendly away to non-league Melksham Town.
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Dingley, who holds a UEFA Pro Licence, was previously linked with the managerial role at The New Lawn back in 2021.
The links came after she had excelled as the head of the club’s academy, having become the first woman to hold such a role in 2019.
She has also previously served as a youth coach and head of academy coaching at Forest Green.
Owner Dale Vince has turned the Greens into one of the world’s most socially forward-thinking clubs.
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They were recognised as the first vegan football club in 2017 and have been dubbed the “greenest team in the world” thanks to measures including an electric team coach and a ground powered solely by renewable energy.
Forest Green begin their League Two campaign at home to Salford City on August 5.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk