PHIL PARKINSON has been appointed as Chester's new first team manager.
Parkinson, 45, has penned a two-year deal with the Blues and he will be joined at the Deva Stadium by assistant Neil Sorvel, who worked alongside the boss at Nantwich and Altrincham.
CFU chair Nick Phillipson told the club's website: “Today we open a new and exciting chapter in the recent history of Chester FC with the appointment of Phil Parkinson as first team manager, with Neil Sorvel as his assistant.
“Phil was our preferred choice from the start. He brings a wealth of experience from his time resurrecting and consolidating Altrincham back into the National League.
"He developed their Academy and produced a pathway for players to further their careers and brought both value and financial benefits to their club. This aligns with our values and thinking as a fan-owned club.
“The board are confident that Phil will be able to bring us the success we all want: promotion back to the National League.
“We are in this together. All of us will have an important role this season in supporting Phil and the club to achieve this upward progress.
“Welcome, Phil and Neil – we all look forward to working with you.”
Parkinson's managerial career began with Nantwich in 2015 and he transformed the team from being threatened by relegation to promotion challengers in the NPL Premier Division.
After also guiding Nantwich to the FA Trophy semi-finals, Parkinson made the switch to Altrincham in the summer of 2017.
He picked up the NPL Premier Division title at the first attempt, while a pair of consecutive fifth-placed National League North finishes followed, prior to securing promotion via the play-offs in 2020.
Following a trio of successive mid-table National League finishes, Parkinson led Altrincham to fourth place in 2023-24.
Parkinson departed Altrincham last October and since then, he has acted as interim manager of Fleetwood Town U21s.
He said: “I’m delighted to be here. It feels like the perfect fit for me right now.
“It’s an exciting prospect. Supporters can expect a real modern-day approach to football. We have a set way of going about things, an identity that we won’t deviate from.
“We’re going to have to bring our A-game, and if we do, which we will, we’ll get this right and give everybody something to be really excited about come the summer.”
Parkinson replaces interim boss Connell Rawlinson in the Blues' hotseat.
Rawlinson led Chester to a late-season resurgence, which saw the team qualifying for the play-offs.
However, hopes of promotion were ended with a 2-1 defeat at Macclesfield in the first round of the post-season matches.
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