Hannah Dingley: Why Forest Green's historic decision will 'spark intrigue and debate'

Hannah Dingley was named as Forest Green's caretaker boss on Tuesday following Duncan Ferguson's departure from the Gloucestershire club; Dingley took charge of Rovers for first time against Melksham Town in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday

Thursday 6 July 2023 09:50, UK

In 2019, Sky Sports' Adam Bate made the trip to Nailsworth in Gloucestershire to meet Hannah Dingley, the newly-appointed academy manager of Forest Green Rovers, and to speak to chairman Dale Vince about the decision to employ her in that role.

Both were keen to downplay its wider significance.

«It was not an issue for us in the recruitment so we did not see it as something to celebrate,» Vince told Sky Sports. «It was a complete non-issue. We certainly did not set out to make a statement, we just looked at the candidates. Hannah was the outstanding candidate.

»It was only after we had chosen her, someone said that she was the first appointed to that role. It tells you something about football doesn't it?"

Four years on and there can be no denying the significance as Dingley becomes the first woman to take charge of a men's senior side in the English professional game. The appointment is on an interim basis but the impact of it will be lasting.

The noises coming out of Forest Green remain the same. Dingley is the natural choice, according to Vince. Her values are aligned with the club. The obvious candidate. And yet, the appointment of a woman is apparently not obvious enough for any other club to have done it.

«I applied for other jobs and did not even get past the door,» Dingley told Sky Sports that afternoon in 2019. «With a Pro Licence, having been a head of coaching, with all the academic background, I could not get an interview. You do wonder why