Charlotte Dinsdale is to leave her role as head coach of Lincoln City Women as she takes an exciting step forward in her career.
Charlotte, who took charge of the Imps at the start of the 2024/25 season, has been appointed head of Foundation at Middlesbrough Football Club.
She has helped a young squad of players develop throughout the season, reaching Friday’s Lincolnshire County Cup final where they were edged out 3-2 after extra-time, having led until the 92nd minute, by an experienced Lincoln United side.
Charlotte said: “The growth and character shown by every single player in the squad has been phenomenal. They can hold their heads up high and I know they have all got so much to achieve in the game - as they showed on Friday night.
“Leaving this group of young players is a wrench, but with this new full-time role for me involving relocating back to the north-east I cannot continue coaching with City or any club.
“This has been a memorable season for me personally and I am excited to see what lies ahead for these players and Lincoln City.”
City's director of football Jez George added: “Firstly, we want to thank Charlotte for her hard work and commitment towards the team and players in challenging circumstances this season. Having lost an entire management team and squad of players, Charlotte stepped up to coach the team and support these young players brilliantly as they faced the challenge of step 4 football. To say that was an accelerated development pathway would be an understatement but, despite results, the players have grown and performances have improved. This progress could be seen on Friday evening when Lincoln United may have won the cup but our young team won all the plaudits. As well as the players, Charlotte should take all the credit for that and they should all be proud of their efforts.
“We are proud of a pathway that is now in place for girls at Lincoln City culminating in a scholarship programme for 16–18-year-olds alongside full-time education and a partnership with the University of Lincoln. We will soon announce how the pathway is growing to encompass opportunities at even younger age groups. We now have to get right the flagship senior team, for the city of Lincoln as well as Lincoln City, so that every girl in Lincolnshire can aspire to play at the highest possible level. These players were asked to do that too early in their development this season, without sufficient senior players to support them, but they will have benefitted from the experience and they should be proud of how they have represented the club."