Wrexham Women interested in playing against NWSL teams
Wrexham AFC Women would be interested in facing NWSL teams in friendlies in the United States if the opportunity presents itself in the future, a club executive told World Soccer Talk.
“We would absolutely love to be able to do something like that,” said Gemma Owen, Head of Women’s Football Operations at Wrexham AFC. “Not only for the players themselves to be able to experience the incredible atmosphere in terms of what women’s football particularly has in the States. It is a massive sport in America. For our girls to experience that first-hand would be very incredible for them.”
Playing across the Atlantic
As of press time, it’s a hypothetical. No discussions are currently happening. However, Owen said it would be an honor for Wrexham to play in the United States.
After all, Wrexham has been drawing in popularity and success for several seasons now. However, that is not exclusive to the men’s team. As part of Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds taking over at the club, the development and progression of the women’s side of the club is a major factor. The Wrexham AFC Women benefitted from promotion and popularity. Now competing in the Welsh top division of women’s soccer, Wrexham has major possibilities.
Owen spoke to World Soccer Talk ahead of season two episode six in ‘Welcome to Wrexham,‘ titled Ballers, which focuses on the women’s team. Owen said the rise of the women’s team over the last three years has been remarkable to see. Still, the club is only getting started on its plans for the future.
Wrexham Women in the Champions League
Owen has other aspirations for the Wrexham AFC Women’s team, including the goal of reaching the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
“That is something that is absolutely in our thoughts and has been since we started to put together a development plan for the club,” Owen said. “It is one of our ambitions, one of our aims. We want to represent Wales in the Champions League, that would be something absolutely incredible.”
The Welsh women’s soccer division, the Adran Premier, gets one spot in the qualifying rounds of the Women’s Champions League. Only three teams have ever won the division and played in the Women’s Champions League opening rounds. Those are Swansea, Cardiff City, and Cardiff Met. Owen wants the Wrexham Women to take it a step further. She wants Wrexham to be the first Welsh women’s club to make it to the group stage.
“It is something that has not quite happened yet. There have been some very good teams that have represented Wales over the past few years, particularly Cardiff and Swansea. We want to be that team that goes into the Champions League and breaks out through that first group of matches. There is no reason why we cannot be.”
If it were to play in the group stage of the Women’s Champions League, Wrexham would go up against the likes of Lyon, Barcelona, Wolfsburg, Arsenal, and Chelsea, the titans of women’s club soccer. Those clubs all have experience playing in the United States as part of friendlies, much like the men’s teams do regularly.
Owen added that people come from across the world to watch the men’s team. On many occasions, those people stayed an extra day to watch the women’s team play on a Sunday.
Owen sees the Wrexham Women playing in the UEFA Women’s Champions League as a legitimate reality for the club. It may be next year or in seasons to come, but she wants that to happen.
PHOTO: FX