Hannah Dingley: Former Lecturer Becomes 1st Female to Manage Men's Team in English Football

• The English men’s game has been graced by the first female coach in history
• A League Two side will be managed by Hannah Dingley, who takes charge of the club on a caretaker basis
• Hannah replaces Duncan Ferguson, who was sacked after six months in charge of the club

League Two side Forest Green Rovers will go down in history as the first English club in all tiers to appoint a female coach for the men’s team.

This is after the club confirmed the appointment of Hannah Dingley, who replaced Everton legend Duncan Ferguson.

Ferguson was sacked after six months in charge of Forest Green Rovers despite signing a five-year deal with the club.

Days after his sacking, the club stunned the footballing world on social media by announcing Hannah as the men’s team’s new manager.

“We can confirm Hannah Dingley has been named our caretaker head coach,” a club statement read.

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Dingley will take charge of the team’s friendly tomorrow against Melksham Town.”

Forest Green Rovers faces Melksham Town on Wednesday, July 5, and managed to come out with a 1-1 draw.

As reported on BBC, Hannah Dingley, 39, spoke in the wake of the match where she expressed hope that more women would be given more coaching opportunities in the men’s game.

"It's the first and it's great, but I don't want to be the first and only," she said.

"It's slightly disappointing as the first female academy manager I'm still the only female academy manager.”

Hannah joined Forest Green Rovers in 2019, and took charge of the academy side, proving herself over the years of her immense knowledge of football and coaching.

Before delving into the world of coaching, she worked as a University lecturer, according to Sky Sports.

Forest Rovers chairman Dale Vince welcomed the move to appoint Dingley on caretaker basis, but did not clarify whether she could land the job permanently.

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"If Hannah wants to put her name into the hat she's very welcome. She's been here four years and you could argue she's got an inside track, but it's going to be a very thorough process." He Said.

Marta to attempt WC glory again

Elsewhere, Sports Brief also reported on how Brazilian legend Marta hopes to cap her final tournament at a Women’s World Cup with a win at this year's Mundial.

Marta is named in the squad for Brazil despite still nursing a knee injury after undergoing surgery to repair anterior cruciate ligament damage last year, which puts her starting status in doubt.

She heads into the tournament as one of the most influential figures in women's football, having been named the FIFA Women’s Player of the Year six times.

Speaking to local media in Brasilia ahead of the tournament in Australia and New Zealand, she confirmed that it would be her last tournament as she would be 41 by the next tournament.