Shrewsbury Town Women have appointed Leanne Rimmer, Brogan Cook and Chloe Hudson-Jones as directors as the team embarks on an exciting new chapter.
Since they formed, the women’s team have operated under the guidance of the Shrewsbury Town Foundation, the charity branch of Shrewsbury Town Football Club.
That partnership has been a successful one with the team becoming invincibles in the 2021/22 season when they won promotion from the West Midlands Regional Women’s League Division 1 without losing a single league game.
Then last year they achieved an historic cup double winning both the West Midlands Regional Women’s Premier Division League Cup and the Shropshire County Cup.
The team, though, has no plans to stop there with their goal to become the first semi-professional team in Shropshire.
To achieve that aim they have now moved away from the Shrewsbury Town Foundation to a new ownership model led by Leanne, Brogan and Chloe.
Town defender Dr Leanne Rimmer, a former Wolves Women’s player, will focus on operations and culture in her role as director.
She said: “Currently, female players must travel out of the county to play semi-professionally or progress beyond tier five.
"For those able to travel, we are losing good local talent to the Welsh leagues, Midlands clubs and other competitors.
"For those without the privilege of transport/resources/support network, they are not able to progress. This is problematic and inequitable.
"Our vision is to build a successful and sustainable club in Shropshire that players and the community are proud of.
"We are committed to this goal through fostering a positive, professional team environment, where we value our players and prioritise wellbeing and experience.
"We are really excited for the future of Shrewsbury Town Women and the continued growth of women’s football."
Fellow Town defender Brogan Cook has previously played for Accrington Stanley, Blackpool and Wolves.
Her role as director will focus on commercial and financial aspects.
She said: “It’s a really exciting time to take the club forward, especially given the exponential growth of women’s football over the last two years.
"Increasingly we are seeing women’s football teams moving to a semi professional status, and the future for Shrewsbury Town Women is to work towards that.
"As we begin on this journey, our aim is to develop an effective, dynamic and sustainable business that maximises our resources, and centres around business partnerships, community participation and fan engagement.
"As an independent club, its hugely important to secure sponsorship and funding. We’re committed to partnering with local businesses that share our values and our ideas, to help drive a collective agenda."
Chloe Hudson-Jones will be fulfilling the role of Director of football and brings a wealth of experience both on and off the pitch.
She is a former Aston Villa, Liverpool, Leicester, and Wolves player, and played professionally abroad. She was also technical director at Stoke City Women.
She said: "Having been involved in the women’s game for a long time, I have experienced the growth and development of the game first hand and want to do everything that I can to continue to build on that momentum.
"The club is full of ambitious and quality players and staff that are hungry and have the desire to learn and develop.
"This passion for the game and the community really attracted me to be involved. As director of football, I will help to drive the quality and create a philosophy and style of play that is attractive and aggressive.
"This will also prepare us for the higher leagues that we hope to progress into over the next few years.
"It is an exciting time for the club and all three directors understand the game and how to progress to get to where we want to be."
Jamie Edwards, chief executive of the Shrewsbury Town Foundation, added: "This is an exciting new chapter for Shrewsbury Town Women.
"Since 2014 it has been a privilege to support the development of senior female football at Shrewsbury Town Football Club.
"We are looking forward to seeing the team further progress with the trusted leadership of Leanne Rimmer, Brogan Cook and Chloe Hudson-Jones.
