Ipswich Town Women have appointed former Southampton technical coach Lauren Phillips as their new assistant manager.
Phillips was with the Saints women’s side for four and a half years, helping them to win promotion to the Women’s Championship and go full-time.
Prior to that, she was the England U17 women’s assistant coach, having been in a number of other roles with the FA.
During that time, she also spent a year as head coach of Arsenal women’s U21s, two years as Millwall women’s head coach and 11 months as ladies academy manager at West Ham. Before that, she was with the David Beckham Academy for almost three years.
"There’s massive ambition here. The growth of the club and the investment into the team made the project really exciting for me to be a part of,” Phillips told the club site.
"There’s a really good, young squad here which has huge potential, and they are showing those traits at the moment with an unbeaten run in the league.
"I now can’t wait to get back on the grass again. As a coach you always want to work towards the game at the weekend and we’re fortunate that we’re straight in against Manchester City on Sunday.”
Manager Joe Sheehan added: "We are absolutely thrilled to bring Lauren in and I think she will be a great asset for us for the foreseeable future.
"Lauren joins following a really successful time at Southampton where she has been a huge part of their progress both in the National League and the Championship.
"She brings such great experience and knowledge into the team and is an outstanding addition to our club.”
Rachel Harris, Town Women’s general manager, said: "Lauren's appointment as assistant manager is a massive step forward for the women's team and I have no doubt that she will be instrumental in helping us reach our objectives both this season and beyond.
"I believe Lauren will have a great influence on the players and staff since she offers an abundance of knowledge and expertise, particularly in the women's game.”
Phillips will be in the dugout for the first time when the Blues face Manchester City away in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup on Sunday.