Former England netball player and head coach Tracey Neville has been given a leading role at Stockport County Football Club. 

The sister of former United defenders Gary and Phil is now the managing director of the club's new women's football team. 

The 49-year-old has represented England 81 times over the course of her netball career. 

As head coach, she led England to gold in the both the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the World Cup semi-finals in 2019, and was the face of the Melbourne Mavericks for two years until her departure last August. 

Now spearheading County Women, Neville will now oversee the next phase of the team's development alongside other board members, who have yet to be appointed. 

"I am incredibly proud to be joining Stockport County at such a pivotal moment for the club and for the women's game," she said following the announcement. 

"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. 

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"We want young girls in Stockport to believe that they can reach the top of the game without leaving their community. That's how you build something powerful, sustainable and truly representative of the people it serves."  

The women's team first began as a voluntary group back in 1989, under the banner of Stockport County Ladies. 

Over the past 37 years, the group has seen a generation of Stockport women come together to play the beautiful game, and will now be formalised as an institution in its own right ahead of the 2026-27 season. 

Stockport County have confirmed plans to celebrate the team's launch towards the season's end, where past and present players, volunteers, and supporters will be recognised for their contributions to the sport over the decades. 

"Today is about recognising where we have come from and setting out on the patch to where we need to go," said Simon Wilson, CEO of Stockport County. 

"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. 

"As a football club, we have acknowledged that this is moment to do more. We are proud of our history, grateful to those who built it, and we are determined to build something even stronger for the future. The women's game offers new ways for families to experience football, and we want to be the club for everyone in this town." 

"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." 

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