Thursday 18 July 2019 17:35, UK
Forest Green Rovers have appointed Hannah Dingley as their academy manager, making the 35-year-old the first woman to hold such a role in men’s football.
In addition to developing new first-team talent, Dingley will also spearhead the creation of a new women's academy at the League Two club.
Dingley, who left her role as head of academy coaching at Burton to take up the position at Forest Green, was the standout candidate for the job, according to Forest Green chairman Dale Vince.
"She was simply the best candidate for the job by a long way and it was the unanimous decision of all of us involved in the process," Vince told Sky Sports News.
"We didn't look past gender, we just didn't notice it - that's the honest truth.
"We had 60 applications - we interviewed a few - and she was the standout candidate. It didn't occur to us that it was a big deal until somebody told us it was the first time it was happening in football."
Dingley has spent a decade coaching in men's football at a lower level and has also had plenty of experience in the women's game with clubs including Nottingham Forest, Leicester and Lincoln.
"I'm really excited to get started - it's the perfect blank canvas," she said.
"We have a first-team manager who really wants young players in his squad and plays the game with a distinctive style.
"We have some great talent in the academy and my focus will be on doing everything we can do give them the best chance at first-team football.
"Football typically does the same thing repeatedly and waits for results to change without making changes. It feels like I've got a chance to innovate here and do things differently."
