Rehanne Skinner becomes West Ham United Women's first female manager of the professional era.
The 43-year-old has 20 years of experience in the women's game and becomes the fourth manager since the Club turned professional in 2018.
Skinner returns to management after a short spell away from the game after leaving Tottenham Hotspur in March. Before that, Skinner worked at the Football Association, where she was England Women's National Team Assistant Head Coach to Phil Neville, and previously joined them in 2017 as Women's National Head Coach of the U18-U21 section.
She's also had coaching roles at Arsenal and Leicester City earlier on in her coaching career, and now she is back in the Barclays Women's Super League and ready to lead West Ham United into the new season.
She sat down with West Ham TV and spoke about her excitement about getting started with the Hammers.
Rehanne, welcome to West Ham United. How does it feel to be here?
I'm honestly delighted. There's been a lot of conversations between myself and people at the Club around what the plans are for the team moving forward, and I'm just really excited at the prospect of leading the team next season.
Why is West Ham the right fit and the right opportunity for you now?
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. I think the challenge of 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.
You're obviously a vastly experienced coach at Club and international level but what can our supporters expect from you as a manager?
The most important thing for me is that I want to ensure that the fans really enjoy the experience that they come to, as engagement with the fans is such an important part of the game. I know that the West Ham fans are passionate, and I'm really excited about meeting everybody.
I think that the consistency of our performances is going to be key to this season and so we want to try and make sure that we play a style of football that people really like to enjoy, want to come and watch, and fits the identity of West Ham as a Club.
How would you describe your playing style?
For me it's about creating great attacking opportunities through the strengths and qualities of the players that are in the team. Defensively, we want to be really tough to beat.
This is a hard working football Club and everybody wants to fight until the end of every game and give it everything they've got. That has been evident to me already. That determined spirit really fits with my values as a manager and where I sit and fit with the team. I think that will become evident over time.
Of course, we want to try and get things right in pre-season but throughout the course of the campaign our playing style will become more and more evident.
You've come up against West Ham a number of times in your managerial career previously, what will you take from those previous experiences as you now come into the Club?
As I mentioned, it's clear that the team is a hard-working team, and that they never give up. I think that's a fantastic platform from which to work on and drive further with.
Every game in the WSL is such a challenge as the league is just getting stronger and stronger every year. And I think that's something that we really want to rise to the challenge of, and I'm certainly looking forward to being back in that situation where we can test ourselves every weekend and keep trying to improve as a football team.
When that first weekend of the season rolls around, what characteristics do you want to see from Rehanne Skinner's West Ham United?
I think it's important that the team never give up, are brave and that we try to play our way and that we focus on that. That means looking after the ball and playing with good quality throughout what we try to do in an attacking sense.
For me, the priority is making sure that we don't concede goals and that we make life as tough as possible for teams when they come and play against us. Ultimately, that's what keeps you in very good situations within the league. So, I think that's going to be something that should be evident from watching us play.
You've worked with England, with the younger age groups developing young players, which very much fits the model that we've got here at West Ham. Is that something that excites you?
Yes definitely, developing younger players is such a huge part of the game. I'm a massive advocate for the women's game and I think that player development is absolutely massive for the development of the game and the overall longevity of women's football.
I've been in the game for over 20 years, and I'm passionate about that way that it grows so I've always looked for those opportunities in whatever role I am in. Here at West Ham, that's a key part of what we're trying to achieve and so I think it'll be great to see those players drive forward and develop. It's really satisfying when you see young people achieve their potential so I'm looking forward to working with those young players as well.
The Club is entering its sixth season in the Barclays Women's Super League. Are you looking forward to building on the work that's been put in place previously?
Absolutely. The history of the Club goes back a long way overall, and the women's game has been around for a long time, so being in the top division for six years is a fantastic achievement and is tough to do.
I think that there's lots of things that have been put in place that have been really promising for the Club and so now it's just a case of trying to elevate wherever I can with the staff group here, that are a fantastic group of people, and continue to make those strides to keep moving the Club forward.
You become the Club's first ever female manager in the professional era, is that a proud achievement for you?
Yeah, it's a fantastic moment for me and my family. To put it into context, it's not been very long really that people have been able to be professional coaches in the women's game and it's a game that has come forward leaps and bounds. It's a huge opportunity here for me, and to have another female coach in the WSL is obviously important and a great part of what West Ham are looking to do.
The start of the season is closing in on us now, but how much are you looking forward to getting started?
I can't wait to get on the grass. Anybody that knows me knows that ultimately, I love to be out on the grass, working with players on a day-to-day basis. It's definitely what drives me and what gets me out of bed every day. So, the sooner the better for me and I can't wait to meet all of the players.
There's an unbelievable World Cup going on very shortly and so that's going to be something that we want to see our players do really well in first, but when we get the group back together is when it will really feel like the start of what we're going to do this year and I'm looking forward to that.
The staff that are coming in here as well with me are very experienced and so, as a team, I think we're looking forward to getting on the grass and working with everybody.
