Latest news with #RachelRowe
Daily Mirror
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
'I used to work in a prison, now I'm playing at the Women's Euros'
Rachel Rowe used to fall asleep in her football kit after driving 300 miles after a long day working in a prison to follow her dream of playing football professionally Women's Euros wildcard Wales have produced another surprise after qualifying for their first major tournament - as it emerged that one of their players used to work in a prison. In a remarkable move from an apprentice business administrator at HMP Swansea, Rachel Rowe, will now be part of the team making their historic debut at the tournament. Speaking about her journey, the 32-year-old said: "I had multiple jobs. I came out of college and had to work. I worked in B&M, then went to the prison service. "There are different generations in our group who have had different experiences. There are those who go to college and become full-time footballers from that. "My journey was completely different, but it's moulded me into the person I am today." Rowe was working for the Welsh government at the 16-year-old nick in Swansea Bay when she had the chance to go semi-pro with Reading. Three times a week, she would drive the 300-mile round trip from Swansea to Berkshire after a full day's work. Crashing into bed after midnight, the dedicated player told how she'd wake up still in her football kit ready to do it all over again. "I did it for a year and I was exhausted," she says. "Fortunately, we won the league which meant we went up to the WSL." Before her full-time deal came, Rowe considered giving up on her footballing ambitions. But the professional contract was life-changing, even if the salary was nothing compared to top-flight men's players. She said: "It's been 10 years since [turning fully professional] which really seems strange. "It's been a decade and now this happens and we're at the Euros. "When we arrived here and saw the bus with all the Euros logos on it, it hit home. "It was a case of gulp it down and don't get too teary because it really did feel real." When they play their first match against the Netherlands on Saturday, Rowe admits it will be hard not to cry. "I think every game is going to be like that because it's such a precious moment for us all to be part of," she says. "But that doesn't mean we're not going to be composed. "It hasn't been easy getting to this position. You stand on the shoulders of many people who put in a lot of effort for two or three decades to get us to this position – and we bring them with us. "We're building towards Saturday, keeping this nerves at bay. We'd be doing ourselves an injustice if we come here, feel all of the pressure and not enjoy being here."
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
From working in a prison to playing at Euro 2025
Southampton midfielder Rachel Rowe has been one of Wales' mainstays since her debut in 2015 [FAW] From working in a prison to playing in Switzerland. There will not be many players at Euro 2025 with a journey to the tournament quite like that of Wales' Rachel Rowe. Lucerne, where Wales' women will make their major championship bow against the Netherlands on Saturday, is a long way from HMP Swansea, where Rowe used to earn a living. Advertisement During the aspirational days of her playing career, Rowe combined football with a role in operational support within the walls of the 160-year-old Victorian prison which sits on Swansea Bay. "I had multiple jobs," says Rowe, who was still semi-pro when she won the first of her 76 caps in 2015. "I came out of college and had to work. I worked in B&M, then went to the prison service. "There are different generations in our group who have had different experiences. There are those who go to college and become full-time footballers from that. "My journey was completely different, but it's moulded me into the person I am today." Advertisement Rowe will have a big role to play in Switzerland, having been a key part of Wales' side during their growth over the past decade. But even after she left the prison cells behind, the path to the pinnacle that is a major tournament with her country was hardly straight and narrow. Rowe was an apprentice in business administration with the Welsh government when she had the chance to go semi-pro with Reading. Three times a week, Rowe used to make the 300-mile round trip from Swansea to Berkshire on the back of a full day's work. She would eventually get home after midnight, and has previously described how she would wake up on top of her bed in her kit ready to do it all again. Advertisement "I did it for a year and I was exhausted," she says. "Fortunately, we won the league which meant we went up to the WSL." The offer of a professional contract was life-changing, even if the salary involved was nothing like those paid to male top-flight players. Before the full-time deal came, Rowe had considered giving up on her footballing ambitions. "It's been 10 years since [turning fully professional] which really seems strange," she adds. "It's been a decade and now this happens and we're at the Euros." 'Don't get too teary' Rowe was still juggling a job with her football career when she signed for Reading in 2015 [Getty Images] Rowe spent eight years at Reading, before a spell with Rangers preceded a move to Southampton in 2024. Advertisement Along the way she has won silverware in Glasgow, had new experiences at Saints and dealt with serious injury. But the one constant has been her influence with Wales. After being named in Rhian Wilkinson's European Championship squad, the bubbly Rowe posted a social media video of her in a series of Wales shirts. It emphasised her status as a Wales mainstay who, along with the likes of Jess Fishlock, Sophie Ingle and Angharad James, has gone from fighting for recognition to front and centre of the nation's sporting summer. Little wonder, then, that it is now emotions that the former prison worker wants to keep locked down. Advertisement "When we arrived here and saw the bus with all the Euros logos on it, it hit home," she says. "It was a case of gulp it down and don't get too teary because it really did feel real." There will surely be a similar feeling on Saturday, when Wilkinson's players line up for the anthems before facing the Dutch. Rowe concedes it might be difficult to keep eyes dry. "I think every game is going to be like that because it's such a precious moment for us all to be part of," she says. "But that doesn't mean we're not going to be composed. "It hasn't been easy getting to this position. You stand on the shoulders of many people who put in a lot of effort for two or three decades to get us to this position – and we bring them with us. Advertisement "We're building towards Saturday, keeping this nerves at bay. We'd be doing ourselves an injustice if we come here, feel all of the pressure and not enjoy being here." That may be especially true for someone whose journey to this point has been more unusual than most, given that she has gone from Swansea prison to Swiss pinnacle. "I've got some amazing memories throughout that time to get here and I don't think it would feel quite as special if I had not have gone through all of that," Rowe says.
BBC News
03-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
From working in a prison to playing at Euro 2025
From working in a prison to playing in will not be many players at Euro 2025 with a journey to the tournament quite like that of Wales' Rachel where Wales's women will make their major championship bow against the Netherlands on Saturday, is a long way from HMP Swansea, where Rowe used to earn a the early, aspirational days of her playing career, Rowe combined football with a role in operational support within the walls of the 160-year-old Victorian prison which sits on Swansea Bay."I had multiple jobs," says Rowe, who was still semi-pro when she won the first of her 76 caps in 2015. "I came out of college and had to work. I worked in B&M, then went to the prison service. "There are different generations in our group who have had different experiences. There are those who go to college and become full-time footballers from that."My journey was completely different, but it's moulded me into the person I am today."Rowe will have a big role to play in Switzerland, having been a key part of Wales' side during their growth over the last even after she left the prison cells behind, the path to the pinnacle that is a major tournament with her country was hardly straight and narrow. Rowe was an apprentice in business administration with the Welsh government when she had the chance to go semi-pro with times a week, Rowe used to make the 300-mile round trip from Swansea to Berkshire on the back of a full day's work. She would eventually get home after midnight, and has previously described how she would wake up on top of her bed in her kit ready to do it all again."I did it for a year and I was exhausted," she says. "Fortunately, we won the league which meant we went up to the WSL."The offer of a professional contract was life-changing, even if the salary involved was nothing like those paid to male top-flight players. Before the full-time deal came, Rowe had considered giving up on her footballing ambitions."It's been 10 years since [turning fully professional] which really seems strange," she adds. "It's been a decade and now this happens and we're at the Euros." 'Don't get too teary' Rowe spent eight years at Reading, before a spell with Rangers preceded a move to Southampton in the way she has won silverware in Glasgow, had new experiences at Saints and dealt with serious the one constant has been her influence with being named in Rhian Wilkinson's European Championship squad, the bubbly Rowe posted a social media video of her in a series of Wales shirts. It emphasised her status as a Wales mainstay who, along with the likes of Jess Fishlock, Sophie Ingle and Angharad James, has gone from fighting for recognition to front and centre of the nation's sporting wonder, then, that it is now emotions that the former prison worker wants to keep locked down."When we arrived here and saw the bus with all the Euros logos on it, it hit home," she says. "It was a case of gulp it down and don't get too teary because it really did feel real."There will surely be a similar feeling on Saturday, when Wilkinson's players line up for the anthems before facing the concedes it might be difficult to keep eyes dry."I think every game is going to be like that because it's such a precious moment for us all to be part of," she says."But that doesn't mean we're not going to be composed. "It hasn't been easy getting to this position. You stand on the shoulders of many people who put in a lot of effort for two or three decades to get us to this position – and we bring them with us."We're building towards Saturday, keeping this nerves at bay. We'd be doing ourselves an injustice if we come here, feel all of the pressure and not enjoy being here."That may be especially true for someone whose journey to this point has been more unusual than most, given that she has gone from Swansea prison to Swiss pinnacle."I've got some amazing memories throughout that time to get here and I don't think it would feel quite as special if I had not have gone through all of that," Rowe says.
BBC News
01-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Underdogs' Wales happy to be written off at Euro 2025
Wales' players say they are happy to be written off at Euro 2025 as they bid to cause an upset in been drawn against defending champions England and formidable opponents in France and the Netherlands, Opta give Wales just a 9% chance of getting out of their group, a 2% chance of reaching the semi-final, a 1% chance of reaching the are the lowest ranked side at Euro 2025, their first major tournament, and have never beaten a side ranked in the world's top suggest Wales have a 71% chance of finishing bottom of their qualifying group, but Wales' players say they are comfortable with being dismissed as having no hope."You want to come to a major tournament, and you want to play against the best teams," defender Gemma Evans told BBC Sport Wales."We are fine with the group. We're fine with outside noise, or people who don't have any faith in us or are underestimating us."We know the talent we've got in the group. We know what we've got to do. We are happy with the position we're in, and we know what we will do." Wales kick-off their tournament on Saturday, 5 July against the Netherlands and midfielder Rachel Rowe says the players are ready to show they belong on the biggest stage."The pressure comes from within our group and what our expectations are of ourselves," Rowe explained."I think we're fully focused on doing the nation proud and doing ourselves proud first and foremost."We want to put in performances so that we can step off the pitch and say we gave everything. On our best day, as long as we perform, we can put in a performance and get results." Striker Elise Hughes says "it is a Wales thing," to embrace the tag of underdogs."I think when you qualify for major tournament there's only 16 teams here, and that's 16 of the best in Europe," she said."Any group that you go into is going to be tough. Ours is obviously particularly yeah, it's a Wales thing to do. It's a Wales thing to be an underdog. We are relishing that opportunity."We want to come here and play in the biggest games, and our group is allowing us to do that, and we'll be more than ready."
BBC News
02-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Wales have improved due to backing and resources
Uefa Women's Nations League: Wales v DenmarkVenue: Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff Date: Friday, 4 April Kick-off: 19:15 BSTCoverage: Live on BBC One Wales, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio Wales and Radio Cymru, the BBC Sport website and app, plus live text commentaryHighlights: S4C and iPlayer, 21:50 GMT and later on demand. Wales midfielder Rachel Rowe says increased resources and support has made her and her teammates believe they belong among world football's elite women will play at a major tournament for the first time this summer after qualifying for the 2025 European Championships in Wilkinson's side are also competing in the top tier of the Nations League, with Denmark visiting Cardiff on Friday before Wales travel to Sweden who are ranked sixth in the journey has been a long one and with her and her teammates now paid the same international match fee as their male counterparts and offered the same facilities, Rowe admits it has helped to grow the belief of what can be achieved."Being entirely honest, a lot of us have been told to be grateful for so long," she said."You do get to a point in your career where you think, yes, I am grateful, but there's still so much room for improvement. That's the point where we've got to now."Like resources for example, how can you expect to be at the top when your resources are at the bottom. "When you meet somewhere in the middle, the expectation is fair, and we get that now, we get treated fairly. It's good to see the progress on the pitch, but also to see it as a whole. That's what we've got to look at as a nation. When there is resources and investment, there is progress." Rowe believes Wales' maiden performance at a major tournament can be a transformative moment for football in Wales."2025 is a moment of big change," she said. "There has been so much development so far, but this is the perfect opportunity, externally, to take women's football seriously."There's always been this expectation, but sometimes resources don't meet that expectation."We've been building as a nation for years; women's football has been building for years to get to a point of something big happening. "It happened with England at the Euros, and my hope from getting to a major tournament is that it filters back down into the Adran Leagues and there's change in that and more investment, and in five or 10 years, we can see the progress."Wales have started their Nations League campaign with a narrow 1-0 defeat in Italy before shocking Sweden with a 1-1 draw at who missed the Sweden match with injury, felt the contest underlined Wales' new philosophy under boss Rhian Wilkinson, who wants Wales to be braver in possession."We're transforming into a nation that plays football," Rowe said. "We've always prided ourselves on our defensive organisation and being difficult to break down, that's what our identity has always been, but now we're developing into something else."That's because we're being given free rein to do that, and in the past, we haven't been given that. On a training pitch, anyone can keep the ball, but to do it in a game with high stakes and where results have consequences, it's exciting." Denmark's visit to the Cardiff City Stadium should provide a good barometer for Wales, with the Danes winning 5-1 in Cardiff in 2023 as Wales were relegated from Nations League pot believes Wales are more confident now and increasingly comfortable playing the best sides in the world."There definitely isn't that fear factor of, we know what happened last time against Denmark," she added. "I think there was a bit of fear that first time around. We have an expectation in the group that we are going to compete, and sometimes that doesn't happen. We've got ourselves in a much better position now to compete against League A opposition."There is that internal belief that we can pick up points in any game, so as a collective we are in a completely different headspace. "We're not content coming bottom of the group and going back down, because that makes qualification harder. We know the stakes in these games, and that's why we're going full gas."
