York City Ladies confirm the appointment of Emily Senior as manager

Senior replaces former boss Chris Holloway, who's departure was announced just over two weeks ago due to personal reasons.

Joining Senior in the dugout will be Paula Crowther as assistant manager, with York hoping to build on Sunday's 2-0 victory over a struggling AFC Fylde Women's. 

Senior arrives to City after a recent spell with North East Regional Women's Football League Premier Division side Bradford City, who were unfortunate to miss out on promotion to the FA Women's National League Division One North last campaign under the tutelage of Senior.

She left her role with Bradford days before the start of the current season, having gone unbeaten with the Bantams throughout the entirety of 2024.

Senior boasts understanding of the women's game at the Minsterbelles' level, as a player, coach and manager, and has also worked as a Regional Coach Developer in the North East with the Football Association.

The newly-appointed York manager also held the role as Ossett United Women's Head Coach for over three years, and was Head of Women's Football at Huddersfield New College.

Speaking on the appointment of Senior, Ladies Chairperson Paula Stainton commented: “Whilst Emily was someone we had on our radar; we didn’t have any formal conversations with her until we had invited applications.

“The level of applicants was high again, as we are becoming an ever more attractive club with a good reputation for developing young talent through our long-established female pathway, and with a strong club structure in place and ethos.

“I was asked last time we recruited, why I hadn’t appointed a female Manager, and quite simply, we didn’t have any females apply.

York City Ladies have announced their new management team. (Image: York City Ladies FC) "I’m delighted to say that was different on this occasion, and I hope we continue to see more females coaching and managing at the highest standard possible.

“We will now have a female leadership with Chairwoman, Sporting Director, Manager and Assistant Manager, which in itself is important to us to inspire the next generation of girls into the game in all aspects.”

Stainton also spoke on the vision of the Minsterbelles, stating: "Striving for a positive and professional environment for our players, led by a strong work ethic from the top.

"Our vision is to be sustainable on and off the pitch, with a huge focus on community and engaging, and inspiring our younger fans.

“We believe in consistency and longevity of a management team and our hope when searching for a manager earlier this year was to find someone to take us forward long term, but unfortunately that wasn’t to be the case with Chris.

“We finished last season avoiding relegation and with a dramatic County Cup win, and didn’t expect to be recruiting again so soon, but situations change, and Chris alerted us quite quickly into the new season to his concerns about being able to continue for the full season.

"Once again, we thank Chris for holding the reins over that period and wish him and his family well.”