Stockport County hire Tracey Neville as new managing director of women’s team | OneFootball

Tracey Neville. Credit; Stockport County website

Stockport County Ladies have named Tracey Neville, the sister of former England boss Phil and men’s pundit Gary, as their new managing director

The club, which operates in the fourth tier of women’s football, has also announced that it will run under the name Stockport County Women from the start of the 2026-27 campaign.

Tracey Neville named managing director of Stockport County

Stockport County named Tracey Neville as their new managing director on Thursday.

In a statement, they said the decision “underlines the seriousness of Stockport County’s ambition for the women’s game”.

It also said that Stockport’s ambition is to become a “superpower” for women’s sport in the region and create the same opportunities for women as there are in men’s football.

Neville said: “I am incredibly proud to be joining Stockport County at such a pivotal moment for the club and for the women’s game.

“My career in elite sport has shown me what is possible when there is a clear vision, strong leadership and a genuine commitment to developing talent from the ground up.

“Women’s football is at a defining point, and Stockport has the opportunity to do something special. This is a community club with deep roots, and my focus will be on creating a clear, credible pathway for girls and women to progress, while building the standards, culture and infrastructure needed to compete at the highest level.”

Tracey Neville’s sporting history

Neville was a former England netball international who won bronze medals at the 1998 Commonwealth Games and 1999 World Netball Championships. She also won gold as England head coach at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Tracey, twin sister of ex-England women’s football coach Phil and younger sister of Gary, received an MBE in the 2016 New Year Honours list for services to netball.

As Phil coached England to the semi-finals of the 2019 Women’s World Cup, Tracey also reached the same stage with England in the Netball World Cup that same year.

Stockport County changes

Neville’s announcement was made at the same time that it was revealed that Stockport County Ladies would be named Stockport County Women from next season.

Stockport County Ladies was founded in 1989 and has been run as a volunteer-run community organisation.

The club have also recently acquired Stockport Sports Village in another step forward in the development of local women’s football.

Stockport County chief executive Simon Wilson said: “For 39 years, Stockport County Ladies has been built by volunteers, players and supporters who believed in women’s football long before it had the platform it has today. We are incredibly proud of that history.”

He added that Stockport County acknowledged this was the moment to “do more”.

Wilson added: “This is about more than a name change, though. It’s about building a sustainable, homegrown pathway for more Stopfordian girls and creating a women’s football programme that this town can be proud of for generations to come.”

“This change to Stockport County Women is a statement of intent. It reflects our ambition to create the same opportunities for girls and women in our community as we have for the men’s team, and to invest properly in the future of the women’s game.”