West Ham Women have appointed former Tottenham Women boss Rehanne Skinner as their manager.
Skinner led Tottenham to a best-ever fifth-placed finish in the Women’s Super League in 2021/22 but was sacked in March after a run of nine successive defeats.
West Ham finished eighth last season under Paul Konchesky, one place above Tottenham.
The 43-year-old will join up with West Ham next month after fulfilling media duties at the Women’s World Cup.
“I’m delighted to be joining West Ham United,” she told West Ham TV. “There have been a lot of conversations between myself and senior figures at the club around what the plans are moving forward, and I’m just really excited at the prospect of leading the team.
“I think the big thing for me is that the club is well established and there’s been some fantastic work done before now. Now we are at a stage where we really want to drive that forward and progress on that previous work.
“There is a great sense of togetherness, along with serious long-term ambition at West Ham United. I think the challenge of delivering that is really exciting, and I’m really looking forward to having the opportunity to work with the players and lead towards the vision that the club has.”
Skinner becomes West Ham’s first female manager since they earned promotion to the WSL in 2018.
West Ham vice-chair Baroness Brady said: “Everyone at West Ham United takes real pride in our role as an equity leader and, having recently restructured the women’s Board, we are proud to welcome Rehanne as our first female manager in the Barclays WSL.
“Her vast experience, knowledge and proven track record in the women’s game is hugely impressive. We feel that Rehanne is the perfect candidate to lead our team into the new WSL season and a key part of our renewed focus on growing and developing our women’s team.”
