he could work with the Everton academy students at Finch Farm. Initially Ferguson was a voluntary worker at the academy, working for Alan Irvine, a former mentor of his from his playing career. Although Ferguson remains disappointed with the Scottish FA for what he sees as a lack of support following his sentencing in 1995, he enrolled on a nine-day Scottish FA organised coaching course in Largs, Scotland to earn a UEFA B-Licence. In May 2012, he returned to Largs to achieve a UEFA A licence and in January 2013 he enrolled on a further course and is working towards a UEFA Pro Licence. In February 2014 Ferguson was promoted to the first team coaching staff at Everton. His first game in the role was a home game against West Ham United on 1 March 2014. Following the dismissal of manager Marco Silva on 5 December 2019, Ferguson was named as caretaker manager of Everton. In his first game in charge two days later, Everton beat Chelsea 3–1 to lift themselves out of the relegation zone. Following the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti as the new manager later that month, Ferguson was made assistant manager, a role he retained under Rafael Benítez who joined the club following Ancelotti's departure to Real Madrid in June 2021. On 18 January 2022, Ferguson was again appointed caretaker manager following the sacking of Rafael Benítez. He oversaw one game as caretaker, a 1–0 home loss to Aston Villa, before Frank Lampard was appointed as the new manager. Ferguson remained at the club for the rest of the season as a first-team coach, before announcing his departure from the club in July 2022. Forest Green Rovers On 26 January 2023, Ferguson was appointed head coach of League One side Forest Green Rovers, his first managerial role of his career. Upon his appointment, Ferguson stated; “I’m really delighted to join FGR for the next step of my career, and I plan to be here for a while. We have a bit of a fight on our hands to stay up in League One and I am ready for the challenge. Dale Vince, Chairman of the club, commented: “We’re all excited to welcome Duncan, he is someone I have admired from a far for a while. It’s just fantastic to have the opportunity to work with him in this next phase of our journey toward the Championship.” Personal