Hannah Dingley: Forest Green Rovers football team name first female boss of an English men's professional club

Hannah Dingley is the new caretaker boss at Forest Green Rovers in a landmark move which sees her become the first female in history to manage a professional men’s football team in England.

The Gloucestershire outfit have acted quickly to replace outgoing manager Duncan Ferguson who left his post after a six month stay which culminated in a relegation from League One.

Dingley took charge of her first training session on Tuesday 4 July and is expected to continue to lead pre-season preparations for Forest Green as they prepare for life back in the fourth-tier of English football.

But who is Hannah Dingley and what has been said following her appointment as first team manager?

Here is everything you need to know

Who is Hannah Dingley?

Dingley is the new caretaker boss of Forest Green Rovers and she has succeeded outgoing manager Duncan Ferguson.

Forest Green Rovers chairman Dale Vince has described her as the perfect choice for the role. 

He 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.”

Dingley first joined Forest Green in 2019 to take charge of the academy and she remains the only woman to manage a men’s English Football League academy. She also initiated Forest Green’s girls academy which launched in 2021.

She has a Uefa Pro License and has previously worked as an academy coach at Burton Albion. She later progressed with The Brewers to become a first team coach for the men’s senior team between 2016 and 2019.

What to expect from Hannah Dingley?

Dingley expressed her excitement at taking on the new role at Forest Green Rovers ahead of her friendly game against Melksham Town on Wednesday 5 July.

She 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 forward-thinking club.”

Dingley previously spoke to BBC Sport in March 2023 and spoke about the importance of breaking down barriers in sport and her role as academy coach.

She said at the time: “You’ve got a responsibility as the first to open the doors for others and to encourage others.

“You always say if you don’t see it, you’re probably not going to be it. The fact I do this I hope it encourages more females to come into coaching, into football, into different roles. I feel a great responsibility to talk about that.”

Dingley also predicted that it would only be a matter of time before a woman took charge of a men’s professional team. Particularly after the success of England’s Lionesses in Euro 2022.

Dingley explained: “It will come in sooner than you think. The success that the Lionesses are having, that Emma Hayes is having at Chelsea. There are others, really good female coaches out there, who I have more than faith in would be more than capable of coaching at a men’s level.”