Richard Wood, the manager of Swindon Town Women, has decided to resign from the team effective immediately after his team’s triumph in the Wiltshire FA County Women’s Cup on Sunday.
Following Mike Cook’s resignation in September 2023, Wood assumed the position. Following a fruitful season in which Town finished fourth in the FAWNL and won the Wiltshire FA County Women’s Cup, Wood has made the decision to sever ways with the team.
The squad will be led by Assistant Manager Jonny House, Goalkeeping Coach Dave Tomlinson, and Player-Coach Georgia Clifford for the next two games of the season, which are away at Abingdon and Torquay United, as he stands down from his position.
“I have made the difficult decision to step down from the role of manager to enable the club to have the most time possible to make new plans for next season,” Wood stated in a statement addressing his decision to leave the position.
“I didn’t come to Swindon expecting to be the women’s manager. It has been a challenging and occasionally steep learning curve, but one that I am really happy to have and to have worked with such amazing players and staff.
“We’ve easily had the highest point total in a long time, have earned the respect and regard of other elite teams in the league, will hopefully win the Golden Boot, have had a successful FA Cup run, and recently won the County Cup while successfully integrating young development players—all while occasionally playing some amazing, thrilling attacking football.
“The club employs some amazing individuals. Anthony, in particular, has shown me a lot of direct support and has a tremendous amount of excitement for the women’s squad. The same is true for Jamie and Tim Hall, the club secretary, but most importantly, for Mandie Coe, who has dedicated so much time and effort to propel the Women’s section of the club to such rapid growth. She has put up a lot of effort in her profession.
“The club’s principles are deeply ingrained in the lives of those who work there, and they strongly reflect my own beliefs as well. Because of this, as well as the unwavering faith and support they have shown in me, the Club will always hold a special place in my heart.
“The ground crew, medical team, media team, and all of the volunteers are excellent individuals who have truly made me feel like a member of their team.
“To conclude, I want to express my sincere gratitude to the staff and players, who truly deserve the best. I’ll be keeping a tight eye on you and providing help.”
“We would all like to thank Richard for all his efforts during his time with the club,” said Mandie Coe, Head of Women’s Football.
“Richard is a kind, thoughtful coach who has given us a fantastic FA Cup run and County Cup Trophy this season, along with beautiful, exciting play and many of goals to appreciate. He has undoubtedly made an impact in our first season as a member of the Swindon Town Football Club.
Working alongside him has been an utter delight. Throughout the pre-season, he exerted relentless effort to propel us to where we stand today. As summer approaches, we earnestly wish him a thoroughly deserved rest.