Now an established figure in the Cymru national team squad, Elise Hughes’ connections to the domestic game still burns strong.
The 22-year-old has been one of the standout performers in the English pyramid this season, scoring 17 goals in 16 appearances for Women’s Championship side Crystal Palace, while she also bagged her first Cymru goal in the 2-1 defeat to Iceland in the UEFA Nations League in December.
Born in Hawarden, Flintshire, Hughes’ father David played in the JD Cymru Premier for Connah’s Quay Nomads and it was at the same club that Elise started coaching in 2021 as they entered the inaugural Genero Adran North season – linking up with close friend, fellow UEFA A license candidate and current manager of the Nomads Jordan Parry.
The Nomads finished fourth that season, and then runners-up a year later, but now Parry is keen to go a step further and secure the Genero Adran North title to go along with the back-to-back NEWFA Cups his side have already won.
Parry believes the connection himself and Hughes have built with each other has widened the togetherness of everybody within the club.
On his bond with Hughes, he said: “If it wasn’t for Elise, I probably wouldn’t have been interested in managing Nomads Women. First and foremost, she opened up a world of how much I could give back to a generation of girls who have never really had coaching or a basic understanding of football.
“She created an idea in my head for me to lead and give her what she never had, especially coming from the north. It’s something that we have gone into deep conversation about, and she was the person that told me I can go and drive this project. I think it’s came into fruition from her dream as that is all she ever wanted as a child.
“I think she shows there is a clear pathway from grassroots to the elite level for girls, especially in recent months where she has never been so dedicated to football, and she is reaping the rewards because of it.’’
Parry went on to set up the Connah’s Quay Nomads Girls Player Development Centre in March 2023, and almost a year after its creation, it is safe to say that the PDC has been a success for the Nomads.
The club have begun recruiting for age groups ranging from under 8s to under 16s, before players can take the pathway up to the U19s and senior team.
In December, Hughes wrote a heartfelt letter to schools across North Wales to allow players in the PDC to finish early to go down to Cardiff to watch Cymru play Iceland in the UEFA Nations League. She and her team-mates set also aside funding to cover the travel.
It was a moment to cherish for the young girls in attendance, but Hughes also made one of her own dreams come true as she scored her first senior goal for Cymru – a moment she will savour for the rest of her career.
On inviting the PDC players down to the capital, she said: “I’m from north Wales and I know the opportunities are limited up here in terms of exposure and getting to see international fixtures. It was in my best interest to try and stage a Cymru game up here in Wrexham, but the scheduling meant our next few fixtures would be played down South.
“With the recent setup of the Nomads Player Development Centre, I thought it would be really important that they could watch the national team play. We look to distribute our player fund across equipment, additional funding for teams, and transport, so I thought this should be no different considering the lengthy journey from Connah’s Quay to Cardiff.
“The turnout was unbelievable. We had to fund two buses and I would have funded for three or four if I had to. This is the opportunity these girls should be getting, and just because our games are down south does not mean the north Wales girls should miss out.”
“Obviously we knew it was a commitment for parents, so we wanted to take the financial commitment and time factor out of their hands to just say grab your ticket and come in.
“It’s something I would be more than happy to do again. It gives them a moment to look back on and say ‘we can see it, we can be it’, and I am grateful that the voice I have in our squad means these girls are not forgotten.
“It was brilliant for me, scoring my first international goal and representing Connah’s Quay, so it made things extra special when I saw all those girls happy.’’
She believes now is the right time for girls to get into football, whether it be on or off the pitch and with a wide range of opportunities out there, Hughes is adamant the level of girls playing football in Wales will reach heights that have never been reached before.
“It’s an exciting time for girls to be involved in the sport, women’s football is probably one of the fastest growing sports at the moment and it’s only going to get bigger. Opportunities are becoming more frequent and we are seeing more exposure to the women’s and girls’ games, particularly in Wales, and this can only help it grow.
“The development will be beyond measure, because girls are starting to play at a much younger age. They’re being coached younger and being exposed to much more contact time with a ball in a fun or structured environment meaning the level of the girls playing over the next 5-10 years is going to be incredible.
“There’s an appetite for it…it’s not a sport that should be compared to men’s football but can be enjoyed equally, and with more funding and exposure, the more attractive it will become.
“The narrative is changing, now we just need to stay on that upward trajectory and there is no ceiling for women’s football, and I hope in the years to come, there’s female role models in all areas of the sport, from managers to secretaries to media officers and pundits.”
