Swindon Town are delighted to confirm that former Chippenham and Gloucester City manager Mike Cook as has agreed to become the new Head Coach of our Women’s First-Team.
The 54-year-old has penned a two year deal with the club, and takes over a side currently sixth in National League Division One South West.
An ex-pro with the likes of Coventry City and Cambridge United, Cook took charge of struggling Gloucester City back in January 2019, in what was his first step on the managerial ladder.
He helped secure The Tigers National League South status in his one and only season at the helm, guiding them from bottom of the table and into the top ten in just 17 games.
After departing Meadow Park in October 2019, he was then appointed manager at Chippenham Town in January 2020 where he spent two years.
Similar to his exploits at Gloucester, he took a relegation threatened Bluebirds from second bottom in the table to a twelfth place finish in his first term.
Then, during the 2021/22 campaign, he guided the club into play-off contention and an eventual top ten finish.
Cook holds UEFA Pro, A, B and C licenses, and has been working for the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) as a coach educator for the past 13 years, delivering courses to both current and ex-professional male and female players.
He’s also been heavily involved with the girls setup at Swindon Town, working with Under-12 to Under-16 age groups for the past five years.
He now embarks on his first spell in senior women’s football management, taking charge with immediate effect ahead of The Robins next league clash at home to league-leaders Exeter City this coming Sunday (9 April).
Town Chief Executive Officer, Rob Angus, said: “We’re delighted to announce Mike as our new Women’s First-Team Head Coach.
“He has really strong coaching pedigree having recently coached at National League level, along with his various UEFA pro licenses.
“I believe this appointment illustrates our aspirations in our quest to take our Women’s team up through the leagues, with promotion very much at the forefront of what we are trying to achieve.”
Upon agreeing to take over, Mike added: “I’m really pleased to be here and taking over a really talented group of girls.
“I’m incredibly excited about this role and how far this team can go. I’ve been made to feel really welcome in a very short space of time since coming in and I can’t wait to get stuck in.
“I share the clubs ambitions of promotion and guiding this team up through the divisions. I’m also really keen to adopt an attacking style of play and mentality that is not only entertaining to watch and fans can be proud of, but most importantly, gets us results.”
