The move occurs after former manager Chris Agutter and former First-Team Coach Ben Cornelius made the switch to The U’s last week.

Hammond departs the Sussex Transport Community Stadium after leading the team to a 7-0 victory over Jarvis Brook in the Second Round of the Sussex Senior Cup on Tuesday night.

It was initially announced that the 42-year-old would take charge of our FA Cup Fourth Round Qualifying tie at home to Forest Green Rovers on Monday night, live on TNT Sports. However, due to the fact he was shown a red card in the aftermath of last weekend’s league defeat to Maidenhead United, resulting in a touchline suspension for the FA Cup match, the decision has been made to allow him to leave ahead of schedule.

Dean’s association with the Club began in 2020, as he signed for the Rebels in the twilight of his career. However, the former Premier League footballer wasn’t able to make a competitive appearance in West Sussex  due to the season being disrupted by the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

After a spell working in the youth setup at Woodside Road, an opportunity arose for the ex-Brighton & Hove Albion and Leicester City midfielder to become a part of the senior team’s coaching staff. He was named as a member of Interim Manager Aarran Racine’s supporting team for the latter stages of the 2023/24 campaign.

Hammond then retained his spot in the dugout following Chris Agutter’s appointment, before being named as the Assistant Manager at the start of the 2025/26 season.

The Club extend their sincere thanks for all that Dean has contributed in his spell with us and wish him every success in his new role.