After more than six years at the helm, Dan McNamara’s role as Wolves Women manager has been made full-time in a landmark change, making him the first permanent women’s manager in the club’s history.
Since his arrival in January 2018, McNamara has balanced his duties at Compton with his primary job as an aircraft technician in the Royal Air Force, while also being a leading figure within the UK Armed Forces women’s team as a member of their coaching staff.
Sergeant McNamara, as he is known in the RAF after recently being promoted from Corporal, has now been awarded Elite Athlete status – the first time a service person in the force has been granted such status for a coaching role – meaning he is able to take charge of the Old Gold on a full-time basis.
During his six-and-a-half years at Wolves, McNamara has transformed the fortunes of the women’s team, gaining upward movement into Tier 3 in 2020 before winning the Northern Premier Division in the 2021/22 season as well as two Birmingham Challenge Cups in successive campaigns.
In May 2022, Wolves agonisingly missed out on a place in the Championship following defeat in the play-off final to Southampton – a game McNamara watched from his computer screen 7,000 miles away in the Falkland Islands while away on an ‘out of area’ mission with the RAF.
However, the section continues to go from strength-to-strength and ahead of the forthcoming 2024/25 FA Women’s National League season, McNamara is now preparing his squad for another exciting campaign, this time with eyes firmly fixed on moving Wolves Women forward as a full-time member of staff.
Academy manager for operations, Laura Nicholls, has expressed her delight at McNamara’s transition into the club on a full-time basis and said: “It’s fantastic for Dan first and foremost, and for the RAF to be so supportive for him to come across into our environment full-time. It’s something he deserves after everything he’s given the club over the last few years.
“From a football club perspective, it gives us an opportunity to continue to enhance and develop our programme, and make sure that the offer we give the female players is really bespoke. Dan being full-time gives us the opportunity to do that.
“It’s a commitment from the club, Dan and the RAF to try and develop him. The Armed Forces are always looking for what’s post a serviceman’s career, so they look to try and support their servicemen to develop in other areas. Dan’s committed so much to the football perspective, both here at Wolves and with the RAF, and he’s now been afforded the opportunity to bring his contract to us, so it’s a really good partnership. He’ll continue to support and work with the RAF, but it also gives us the opportunity to have him full-time in the building.”
And Nicholls has explained what benefits the club will receive and what opportunities are available now that McNamara’s time can be dedicated to Wolves on a full-time basis.
“Across the whole board we want to be really creative with our women and girls’ programme,” Nicholls continued. “We don’t want to follow suit and copy everyone else, we have to be really creative with the resources that we’ve got. It gives us the opportunity to do that, so for those players who have different work schedules in our environment, Dan can offer them a really bespoke programme.
“You’ll probably see small sessions with two or three players working on certain bits throughout the week, alongside the main team training as well. That gives our players and those that can commit to extra sessions the opportunity to develop and work with him. Younger down, it will give Dan the opportunity to have more presence around the younger teams and that’s our goal – to develop players from within. We’ve had some really good success with that over the last few years, so we want to continue to bring the next group through. Dan can be part of that now because he’s going to have a lot more time.
“Our women’s multidisciplinary team are in the same office as the under-21s men’s MDT and that provides some really good opportunities to work together and make sure that they can support each other. Dan can learn from that full-time and professional environment. The under-21s have a really strong fixture programme so you will see him popping up in some men’s academy games, and that’s to learn and develop. Importantly, it’s then for him to take that learning and implement it into the women’s side where it’s appropriate. For Dan personally, this will give him some really unique continuing personal development that you won’t see many other female managers getting.
“Every year we want to make small steps and I think this is a big step. It’s an opportunity for Dan to be in the building full-time, drive the programme, drive relationships across the whole academy and continue to integrate the women’s programme. I’m really excited to see how that’s going to allow us to kick on.”
Group Captain and Chairman of the Royal Air Force Football Association, Jon Smith, added: “I am delighted that the Service has been able to afford Sergeant McNamara the opportunity to realise his potential as an elite coach with Wolves Women. He has reached the pinnacle of Armed Forces coaching through countless hours of hard work, in parallel to his career as a full-time aviator, frequently requiring him to make personal sacrifices for the benefit of others.
“This dedication has earned him the rare and exciting opportunity to take his coaching and development to new levels, which will hopefully reap mutual rewards for him and Wolves. The RAF also stands to benefit through this partnership. We place great importance on developing our people, specifically our leaders, so that they are prepared for some of the uniquely challenging situations that military service presents.
“Having personally witnessed the progressive culture and professionalism of the management team at Wolves, I am in no doubt that Dan will be developing a range of transferable leadership and management skills, which will make him a better serviceperson, as well as hopefully a successful football coach.
“Dan is a fabulous ambassador for RAF Sport and everyone at the RAF Football Association wishes Dan and Wolves Women all the very best for the season ahead.”
