Redditch United Ladies: Gary Barrell steps down

Redditch United Ladies’ Manager, Gary Barrell, has decided to leave his role and depart the club with immediate effect.

Gary leaves Redditch United with the club’s best wishes after two successful years, culminating in 2017/2018 after guiding the team to the West Midlands Women’s League Division One South title, as well as the divisional cup and reaching the SSE Women’s FA Cup first-round for the first time.

Redditch United Chairman, Chris Swan, said: “I would like to thank Gary for his hard work and dedication. He has brought success to the ladies’ senior team and wish him the best of luck for the future.”

Redditch United Ladies’ Director of Football, Craig Nicholls, will oversee the search for Gary’s successor. The former Coventry City Ladies and West Bromwich Albion Women manager will utilise his extensive knowledge and experience of the ladies’ game to find the right calibre of manager to lead the ladies’ senior team ahead of a first season in the West Midlands Regional Women’s Premier League.

Craig, who joined the club in March earlier this year, will also oversee operations between the ladies' and girls’ sections, as he looks to give the club’s best young prospects the opportunity to flourish in the first-team.

Chris Swan added: “Redditch United wants to forge closer relationships between the ladies’ and junior girls’ teams. The aim is for more of our girls to follow in the footsteps of the older players that are now first-team regulars. We are committed to achieving this goal, which will be led by the vastly-experienced Craig Nicholls.

“Our ladies’ team is on the right path, continuing to improve and progress, and we want to see some of our home-grown talents, of which they are plenty, enjoy the success that the current crop of players has experienced recently.”

The club will announce a managerial successor in due course and will not make further comment until the process is complete.

Updated 10:20 - 6 Sep 2019 by Adam Weaver