Welcome to Wrexham (2022) s02e06 Episode Script
Ballers
1
[indistinct chatter]
[laughter]
[soft music]
♪
[keypad beeps]
ROSIE: I work in
the largest prison in the UK.
It's a male prison, category C.
[beeps]
It can hold a maximum
of 2,100 prisoners.
[walkie-talkie beeps]
I'm actually
a manager there now.
I've been there 5 1/2 years.
I used to be a POELT mentor
which was, um,
where you introduce,
like, the new starters
to the prison,
so I've done loads of tours.
So I'll just give you
one of them type of tours.
♪
So we've got a custodial caf,
where you can stop and go
and get some food.
A reception area, which
The prisoners come off
these GEOAmey buses,
head through reception.
Kitchen's here on the left.
Food for over 1,800 prisoners.
You just kind of have
to make yourself aware.
Like, you have to have
trust in your staff,
but also back yourself.
Never put yourself
in an unsafe position.
Of course,
we're taught, you know,
how to look after ourselves,
how to protect ourselves.
Use all the tools
that you have
A baton, handcuffs, radio.
Alert staff
whenever you need them.
I found myself being
in this line of work
because I'm not
the type of person that can
sit still or sit in an office.
It's so hands-on.
You're kind of free
to be yourself.
That's where I flex.
Like this.
[laughs]
And it's a people's business,
at the end of the day.
You know,
you're working with people.
We're we're there
as parents, as teachers,
as health care, firefighters.
It's an emergency service job.
Oh, I follow you.
I feel proud every day
to put the uniform on,
to clip the belt on.
♪
The job that I do is difficult.
It's emotionally straining.
It's hard work,
but it's also rewarding.
I've had family members
that have been in prison.
[indistinct chatter]
I grew grew up
going to visit prisons.
I've seen my sister in prison,
my brother,
you know,
so it wasn't new to me.
Um, and I know
they're just humans,
at the end of the day.
So it's easy for me
to, you know, be there.
No, I don't think so.
I think we're pretty much
[cheers and applause]
[rock music]
MARK: Hello, everyone.
Welcome to Wrexham.
And wow, what an occasion
we've got here.
Wrexham playing
at the Racecourse.
The atmosphere here
is fantastic.
The crowds are wonderful.
- Let's go, Wrexham!
- Up Wrexham!
Come on, Jonesy.
Come on!
[cheering]
RYAN: One thing that a lot of
people don't know and realize
is that the number one
goal scorer for Wrexham
is not Paul Mullin.
It's not Ollie Palmer.
It's not Elliot Lee.
It's not Sam Dalby.
It's Rosie Hughes.
MARK: [indistinct]
Clears it now.
White is on the chase.
Will she get there first?
Yes, she does.
She knocks it past the player.
Hughes now up against
the last defender with White,
and it's a first one-on-one.
Hughes passed,
and Hughes got a goal!
[cheers and applause]
♪
Wrexham take the lead.
It had to be Rosie Hughes.
It had to be.
[cheers and applause]
SINGER: Don't forget
where you came from ♪
Don't forget
what you're made of ♪
The ones who were there ♪
When no one else would care ♪
Don't be afraid to cry now ♪
Even when the world
comes crashing in ♪
♪
Don't forget to sing
when you win ♪
♪
Don't forget to sing
when you win ♪
ROB: The men's team is
currently in second place
midway through the season.
But Wrexham has another team
that is in first place
and is, for lack
of a better expression,
kicking the living shit
out of everyone.
[Sencha Green's "Let's Go"]
♪
SENCHA:
Have you seen this, unh ♪
You could even
call it genius, unh ♪
If we shoot for the stars
and we land on the moon ♪
Then we party on Venus, unh ♪
GEMMA: It's not just the men
at Wrexham Football Club.
There is a women's section.
It's very similar
on the women's side
to the men's side.
The women are in a really
good, strong position
to be challenging for promotion.
SENCHA: It's a moment when
I pull up on the scene ♪
Let's go ♪
Hey, let's go ♪
All eyes on me
when I pull up ♪
GEMMA:
We are the women's first team,
unbeaten in the league so far.
Won every game.
SENCHA: Hey, let's go,
all eyes on me ♪
GEMMA: Looking for promotion
to get up
to the highest league in Wales,
which is where we want to be.
There's so many people are
looking at our results
and our players
because our players are special,
and they deserve every bit
of attention that they get.
SENCHA: It's a moment when
I pull up on the scene ♪
Let's go ♪
ROSIE:
I am Wrexham's goal scorer.
I'm a nuisance.
I'm I'm a pain.
Defenders do not want
to defend me.
I've scored three hat tricks
in one game before,
against my former team,
which, you know, sorry,
but I love every goal.
Yes!
STEVE: Rosie Hughes,
character-wise,
is is great to have around.
Very uplifting,
confident individual.
SENCHA: Burn it up all day,
all night ♪
Never get enough ♪
ROSIE: When I'm on the pitch,
a fire within me,
it just kind of explodes.
I look like I'm laughing
in the opponents' faces,
but I'm not.
I'm just
I'm just happy for me.
SENCHA: It's a moment
when I pull up on the scene ♪
MARK: You can see
on the pitch,
the quality of touch
is fabulous.
And you know,
the pitch isn't perfect,
but she tames it superbly.
She's ludicrous.
SENCHA: All eyes on me
when I pull up ♪
Let's go ♪
CHILD: Thank you.
[indistinct chatter]
ROSIE: I'd love to sign it.
I do believe that
I'm the female Paul Mullin.
Not that I'm gonna
compare myself to him,
'cause I feel like
he's the male Rosie Hughes.
I know exactly how he feels,
and I'm sure he knows
how I feel.
I've got girls
shouting my name on the pitch
and, like, coming to watch us.
Like, for me, that's everything.
That's all I've ever wanted,
is people
just to come
and watch me play football.
Granted, it's not in front
of a load of viewers,
which I would love.
[rock music]
FANS:
Wrexham, Wrexham, Wrexham!
MARK:
That's that's just the thing.
The Wrexham women's home games
are not at the Racecourse.
We're here in Rhos,
one of the satellite towns
just outside Wrexham.
We play at
Rhos Aelwyd's grounds.
We have one small stand,
which actually isn't open
to the public.
There's no bleachers.
It's just people
with a metal barrier
around the pitch leaning on it
and watching it.
Must be
a couple of hundred here,
but this is growth.
That's all right.
That's okay.
NEIL: It's all about
the knock-on effect, really.
It's you know, with the men's
team winning yesterday,
um, I think a few more are
starting to become interested
in the women's side as well,
which is
Which can only benefit,
you know, the girls.
They want
They want supporters here to
You know, to be here and
And encourage them
and support them.
So we're on the start
of of what is
a really, really exciting
journey for them, I think.
GEMMA: Go on. Go on, Rosie.
Yes! Yes!
GEMMA: Come on, Rosie!
[all cheering]
Whoo!
- Yeah, Rosie!
- Yes!
That's the way to end a half.
We didn't know that there was
a women's team in Wrexham
until we took
stewardship of the club
and recognized that there was
a program that was in place.
And they, just like the men,
need to win the league
to get promoted up
and out and into
the professional ranks.
SHAUN: The club is a group
of different teams,
from the powerchair team
to a seven-a-side team,
you know, to the youth teams
and the girls teams.
So the women's team is
as much a part of the club.
MIA: We play on a nice,
lovely pitch.
I say lovely.
I use that term quite loosely.
On certain days,
it's not the nicest place
[laughing]
Place to be.
Yeah, we try not to we do
I was gonna say
we don't complain.
We do complain.
Um, we all do it
because we love football,
and because we love
the club that is Wrexham.
And I think you can see that
when you come to games.
We don't just turn up
for a laugh.
We turn up and we take it
quite seriously,
because we know the importance
of wearing that badge.
[indistinct yelling]
ROB: Oh!
[all cheering]
Wow.
Was that Lili?
- Lili, yeah.
- Whoo!
MARK: And with that
dominant 5-2 win,
the Wrexham women sit
first in the league,
neck and neck with
the only other undefeated
team, Connah's Quay Nomads,
who aim to spoil Wrexham's
chances at promotion.
This way?
[laughing] Ladies!
That was absolutely amazing.
Wow. Wow.
That was my first game,
and I've seen you guys win
as many times
as I've seen the men win.
[laughter]
We definitely need to work on
drainage on that pitch.
And maybe new washing machines,
because I don't know
how you're gonna
How we're gonna look at that!
[laughter]
That's amazing.
Well, congratulations.
Thank you for having me.
And, um, Ryan and I have been
talking quite a bit about
how we want to prioritize
this program.
And for so many reasons
in the past, it hasn't been.
You're all very important to us,
and we want to continue
to support you.
And if you keep winning,
it makes it a lot easier.
[laughter]
So thank you.
More goals next time.
[laughter]
Next time.
I came here for a hat trick,
and I don't know
[laughter]
It was great.
It was fantastic.
Thank you.
[applause]
HUMPHREY: Last year, both
the men's and women's teams
very narrowly missed out
on promotion.
This year, things are looking
a little brighter.
Right now, our women's team
is an amateur side.
None of the players get paid.
If the women win
the Adran North League,
they will then go into
a playoff against the winner
of the Adran South League,
and the winner of that will be
promoted to the Adran Premier.
If that's the case,
then we have grand plans
that involve going
to a semi-professional status,
which means paying the players.
I'm just giving you a hard time.
[laughter]
Congratulations.
- ROSIE: Yeah. Thank you.
- It was great.
I don't necessarily
even just think
it's an ethical responsibility
to do something like that.
I think that there is a massive
business to be created there.
Wow, this is cra
I can't believe
you played in this.
Yeah.
There's so much to do there.
Which is great, you know.
It's daunting, too, for us.
It's like, for us
to cultivate and grow
that business as well
is gonna be
a real privilege and fun,
but you know,
we've got a long road ahead.
MIA: For us as players,
all we can do is
put out really good
performances on the pitch
and just keep winning.
Prove you're worth watching,
you're worth following.
You know, prove to us
your your worth,
because that's how
we get more attention.
That's how, you know,
we bring more success.
Not just to the women's game,
but to football
as a whole for Wrexham,
and I think that's all
we need to focus on.
[birds chirping]
LILI: I'm 17,
and I'm in school
9:00 till 3:30 most days.
Tuesdays and Thursdays,
I'm at work.
So I work 5:00 till 11:00.
So yeah.
No time
for anything else, really.
[indistinct chatter]
Rob's cleaned up
from the other tea.
Thank you. You can follow
It's actually vile, innit?
[laughs]
I'm a kitchen porter.
Probably one of the hardest
and most humbling jobs
you'll ever do.
The six hours goes quite fast
when you're bent over a sink.
This is hot off the kettle.
LILI: How the fuck am I
gonna get that off?
[laughs]
GEMMA: We do ask a lot
of these players,
considering they are
amateur players.
They're not professional.
They're not on contracts
in any way, shape, or form.
So we play football
on top of a working day.
COWORKER: Chilling.
Are you coming on Sunday,
or what?
- COWORKER: No, I'm not.
- Why?
- COWORKER: I'm busy.
- You're busy?
All right. Fucking hell.
It is tough trying
to balance everything out,
but end of the day,
it's what's got to be done.
Everyone else has got to do it,
so I'll do it as well,
you know what I mean?
Yeah.
[laughs] Stop looking at me.
COWORKER: Does it feel like
it's like a dream?
You know, first you're, like,
playing your dream career
in front of loads of people,
and then next day,
you're cleaning pots.
LILI: I know. It's mad, innit?
COWORKER: And do you enjoy it?
- What, working or playing?
- Playing.
Oh, I love it.
It's I live and breathe for it.
I, like yeah,
I love every second of it.
But you know?
I'm just telling her
that when she's famous,
she needs to come in.
When I'm famous.
We'll see.
COWORKER: Yeah.
Do you reckon?
COWORKER: Yeah.
I think
you're a good footballer.
- I've read about you.
- [laughs]
[gentle piano music]
Started playing football
at around six years old.
Obviously there weren't
many girls teams around
at that time,
so my dad threw me in with
With the under-six lads team,
which was a bit daunting
at the time.
My dad always used to tell me,
"Get involved, get involved."
And eventually I did.
I was probably the best player
on the team at the time.
[laughs]
About age 13, I got scouted
to play for Everton.
Spent a couple of seasons there,
um, which I absolutely loved.
Playing against big opposition
like Man City, Chelsea.
I was then drafted in,
then, with the Welsh squad.
I played at that level
at 15s and 17s,
which was an unreal experience,
playing in countries
like Sweden, Portugal.
And then I returned,
then, back
Back playing for Wrexham,
where I'm at now, and
♪
I probably would have stayed
at Everton a bit longer
if I hadn't lost my dad.
Um, he struggled
with mental health
and anxiety, depression.
Um, people knew
he was going through it.
I guess we just didn't know
how much it really was
affecting him.
We knew it was getting bad,
but that was a cycle
we'd dealt with a lot.
My dad took his own life, um,
18th of April, I think, 2021.
[somber music]
GEMMA: Lili's gone through
quite a difficult period
in her life at such a young age.
Now, her dad, like like mine,
is the reason why
she comes to watch Wrexham,
why she's the fan that she is.
LILI: Yeah, he was a massive
fan of the club as well.
Some of he used to make
these stupid videos,
trying to trying to catch
Rob and Ryan's attention
all the time.
Um
I'm here with,
um, my daughter Lili,
uh, who's also played
for Wrexham girls.
Yeah.
Her dad was was absolutely
What an incredible man
her dad was.
And you know, we knew her dad
really, really well.
[laughing]
He was a massive character,
and everyone seems to know him,
and everyone seems to have
a story about him,
which which is very comforting.
I do feel like he's still
with us all the time.
He's at my football games, watching.
The flag we designed
after after he passed.
Every time I step on the pitch
and every time I step off
is, would I have made
my dad proud?
What would my dad think of this?
And what he'd say and what he'd
think of my performance, so
[The Declan Swans' "It's
Always Sunny in Wrexham"]
♪
SINGER: He ordered
a medium doner kebab ♪
GEMMA: She is Wrexham,
just like I feel that I am.
And you know, for her to pull
on a Wrexham kit every week
means the
Means the world to her.
You know, if she's here
and she helps us gain promotion,
it would be pretty special
for her, I would say.
And you know, probably
more so than if it was
any other club that she might
have been playing for.
LILI: Almost since he's gone,
I've fell in love
with the club even more.
I honestly don't know
where I'd be
if I didn't have that support
and the people around the club
who are there for me
all the time.
I took his love
Love on for it, really.
♪
BOTH: Wrexham!
Knackered now.
[chuckles]
[crowd cheering]
GEMMA: You know,
football has, strangely,
always been seen
as a boys' sport.
Um, even though
the women's game was
Was much, much, much bigger
than the men's game.
So I think it's important
to have some context
around women's football.
Because, you know,
we've seen it of late.
There's been this huge
increase in interest.
England won the Euros.
You know, the women's game
in the U.S. is really big.
But for a long time,
women's football
has been in the wilderness.
[projector whirring]
Right back at its very origins
in the 1880s,
there were big teams that drew
massive crowds across the UK
and even internationally.
Women's football got
a real shot in the arm
during the First World War.
With all of the men away
fighting in the trenches
on the Western Front,
women's football was really
kind of the only game in town.
And even when
the men returned home,
the women's game still
remained enormously popular.
On December 26, 1920,
53,000 people turned out
to watch a women's game.
That is a crowd we can
only dream of at Wrexham
these days, um, and speaks
to the enormous
popularity of it.
In fact, it was so popular
that it was deemed
to be a threat
to the men's game,
and the FA took the step
in the following year, 1921,
to ban all women
from playing football,
saying, "The game of football
is unsuitable for females
and ought not
to be encouraged."
And they in fact banned
women's football
until the 1970s.
So women's football
was banned until 1971,
but a female football
committee at the FA
was not set up until 1993.
And thank goodness it was,
because without that,
you wouldn't be seeing
all the many manifold triumphs
of women's football today.
[upbeat rock music]
♪
ROB: Of course we want
to be a part of that,
and it's definitely
a long road ahead,
but it's worth it.
KIM: Rob and Ryan, of course,
they're supporting us.
And Blake, she obviously,
um, sponsors our team as well.
When I first started Betty Buzz,
I set out to create
the best-tasting
sparkling drink out there.
[fizzing]
It's pretty special
that they are
supporting us in that way.
And you know, that makes us,
as a team and as a section,
feel feel very, very much
part of the club.
Gemma is the beating heart
of the entire
The entire club.
RYAN:
I'd say Gemma's heart extends
into the Wrexham
AFC men's club too.
She's putting her last drop
of blood into this
This this team, and
And building it and growing it.
It's gonna be incredible.
I'm really, really
excited about it.
[indistinct chatter]
GEMMA: I oversee
the entire women's
and girls section at the club.
So that's all the way
from our little under-eights
all the way up
to our senior women's team,
and organizing everything
in between, basically.
[projector clicking]
I'm born and bred Wrexham.
Always had a football
by my feet.
Um, I've never really been
a girly-girl, if I'm honest.
Um, yeah, I grew up with,
you know,
going on the football field
with the kids
that lived locally.
There might have been
me and one other girl,
and then the rest of them
were all boys.
And that's that
Yeah, that was me.
I loved it.
My husband's Gareth Owen,
one of the best midfielders
we've had at the club.
His main sort of time period
was the '90s.
I grew up watching him, yeah,
which was quite strange,
you know, going back to
when you used to stand
at the side of the pitch
and high-fiving players.
Yeah, that was
He was one of them,
which is a little bit weird, but
he is now the under-19's manager
with our women's side as well.
I try and learn as much
as I can off him,
and yeah, he's he's great.
He's he's playing a big part,
at the moment,
in the growth
of our women's side as well.
We will not be putting you
up front again.
No, Gem, listen!
Full-size oh, my
[laughter]
Gemma Owen,
head of all female
everything that goes on
at Wrexham.
No! Next one.
Come on, Grace.
It's got to be you.
MIA: I don't think
football for women
would be as big as it is in
Wrexham if it wasn't for her.
So North Wales can basically
thank Gemma Owen for that.
GEMMA: Oh, oh! Oh!
Oh, oh!
I'm trying to give
as many girls and women
the opportunity to get
involved with what I think is
the best sport in the world.
And being in amongst the club
that I have been supporting
for my entire life is
It's a dream.
It is an absolute dream.
ROSIE: It's Connah's Quay.
They make me nervous.
And they're awful.
They're not nice players, either.
We're top of the league now,
and they're only
They're second,
but with two points below us.
So obviously, if they win,
they're gonna go back
to the top of the league.
Um
In the changing rooms, like,
I know, like,
everyone will be nervous.
And it gets to you.
You can either get
Let the pressure get to you,
or you can perform really well.
We used to have these feelings
against Llandudno,
because last season, they were
probably our main competitors.
But this season,
it's been Connah's Quay.
So it's 90 minutes, isn't it?
And we all we can be
better than them.
We can beat any team
if we put our minds to it.
Just have to do the easy ball.
Just play football.
[rock music]
♪
GEMMA: Quite a big game
for us today.
Top of the table clash.
And we've still got to play
them twice in the league.
So, you know, these
These two games
are gonna be vitally important
to us hopefully,
fingers crossed,
winning the title.
So I think
it'll be a close game.
I don't expect anything other
than it being a close game.
STEVE: Right.
We've said everything
that we need to say, okay?
We don't need to sell it
to you anymore, okay?
It's a game, okay, that we have
to take seriously, okay?
We've got to be aggressive
with and without
the ball today, all right?
So let's make sure
that we get bodies
in and around the box, okay?
Be patient
with each other as well.
Come on, girls.
Yeah. Big fucking 90.
[applause]
Come on. Come on.
GEMMA: Here they come now.
[cheers and applause]
They look ready.
STEVE: On your toes, girls!
[air horn blaring]
[frenetic jazz music]
Yeah, just screen
in front of your toes.
Yes. Through toes.
You can see that we're both
very, very good teams.
[air horn blaring]
And probably deserve to be
in the Welsh Prem, to be fair.
[all cheering]
[air horn blowing]
FAN: Oh, Connah's Quay!
BOTH: Oh, Connah's Quay!
Is wonderful!
BOTH: Is wonderful!
LILI: Their coaching staff
are very barky.
The players are very barky.
And a few tough decisions
made against us,
and we have to bark back
louder than that.
Rosie.
Straight in on it, mate.
Straight in on it.
Come on, Wrexham!
I think that we managed
to do that.
♪
[indistinct yelling]
[cheers and applause]
STEVE: Get them!
PERSON: Whoo!
[cheers and applause]
LILI: Everyone there put
their body on the line.
The tackles were
Tackles were being put in,
passes were being made quickly.
And you know, when one player
was going 10%, we were
10% less, we were just
getting that extra 10%
from somewhere else.
[all cheering]
♪
We've got a good good little
team going, I think.
[all cheering]
[chatter, laughter]
Go on! Yeah!
STEVE: Listen in.
Today, I couldn't give a shit
how you win a game of football.
It's about fucking digging in
and making sure
that we win a game of football.
We fucking enjoy it right now,
and we enjoy it tomorrow
in the gym.
Tuesday, Wednesday,
our fucking heads turn now.
Sunday, we get it
fucking wrapped up.
We win the fucking league
and get everything
we fucking deserve.
[all cheering]
ROSIE: Yeah, I'm so proud
of my team.
Proper happy.
Excited, buzzing.
Feeling amazing.
Just, uh, can't contain
my excitement, really.
[all cheering]
Rosie ♪
- BOTH: Super Rosie Hughes ♪
- Yeah!
BOTH: Just don't think
you understand ♪
She plays the red and white ♪
She's flipping dynamite ♪
We've got
super Rosie Hughes ♪
[soft music]
LILI: It's just
It's unbelievable, isn't it?
Putting that
Putting that shirt on
and and playing
for that badge is something
that every single girl
on the team knows
Knows what that weight carries.
And you know,
putting two, then three,
is it's just
an unbelievable feeling,
and I can't wait to do it
again next Sunday.
[chuckles]
[indistinct chatter]
Hello, ladies and gentlemen.
Welcome to the 1864 Suite.
I've got to introduce
our former player guests
for tonight.
Making his Football League
debut for Wrexham
in September 1997, he also won
two Welsh Premier cup medals,
and also played for Wales
at full international.
He is a Wrexham lad.
Neil Roberts, everybody.
[applause]
Your time at Wrexham, Neil
What was the highlight for you?
You know, I'm standing here now,
and I'm still in awe of Mickey,
sat at the table there,
'cause he was
one of my heroes growing up.
More importantly than anything
is having my daughter,
one of my daughters,
here tonight, who represents
the women's football team
for Wrexham.
And, uh
[applause]
MIA: I don't remember
football ever being something
that wasn't part of my life.
As soon as I could walk,
I think I was kicking a ball,
as the cliché goes.
NEIL: We had Mia when I was
I was 24.
Came as really no surprise
for her to go down
the footballing route.
[soft music]
First time to have
a look through it together.
It's basically something
my, um, nana put together, to
For me and my brother
and sister to have to,
you know, look back on
to see your little
Little career.
Um, it captures basically
the last few seasons
of your career, really.
NEIL:
Yeah, last couple seasons.
"Local hero Roberts
keeps Dragons in hunt."
NEIL: That season started
on a on a massive high for me,
because I was captain
of my hometown club.
Um, there was a there was
a very good squad in place.
And then, unfortunately,
it kind of took
a turn for the worse.
A couple of players
moved on to
To what was
better opportunities for them,
and we became
a very young squad.
This is the painful bit.
End of an era.
NEIL: Yeah. That's me in tears.
[laughs]
See, like, to read that,
it just
No, it's not
It breaks my heart.
It breaks my heart.
Um
ANNOUNCER: All right.
Talk about this in a second.
Wrexham are out
of the Football League.
They've lost by 2 goals to 0
this evening at Edgar Street.
Gary Hooper to the first half.
Theo Robinson,
his first goal in six
NEIL: It did feel
like a nightmare.
And for me personally, it
It was really tough,
because I was captain
of the team that
That got relegated.
So, you know, that was a
That was a tough pill
to swallow for me, really,
and still is to this day.
My personal take on it
is that it's, um
It it did take
a big piece of me.
And I think it caught up
with me in in later life,
and I became
a little bit distant.
And you know, maybe
Maybe, to a point,
a different person as well.
It's had a massive effect
on my on my life,
especially from
a family point of view.
It was hard for us
to go out as a family
without being subject
to certain things being said.
Because, you know, obviously,
the club does mean
that much to people.
And that obviously
shouldn't happen.
But you can see
why it does happen,
because if they're gonna put
fault on someone, the captain,
you know, he's he's well
up there in, you know,
people to to blame.
Didn't know it was
after 87 years.
NEIL: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
[laughs]
NEIL: You say all the right
things to make me feel better.
[both laughing]
This season, for me, is
It's more than football.
It might allow me a new
A new start, in many ways,
and a new a new chapter
in my life and my family's life.
You know, that's the one thing
that Rob and Ryan have
given everybody in the town,
is is belief.
Is belief and a kind of
"dare to dream" sort of thing.
MIA: Basically just a summary
and a plan
for for me to finish this
when Wrexham got back
in the league.
Touch wood.
Hopefully hopefully we get
to finish it in a few months.
Women's there, men's there.
Let's hope, uh
Let's hope we do it.
MIA: Yeah.
But we'll do that together.
Yeah.
All right.
[tense percussive music]
[engine rumbling]
♪
GEMMA: How you doing?
You all right?
Good to see you.
DAVID: You all right, mate?
- ROSIE: Thank you.
- How are we? Okay?
[laughter, chatter]
MARK:
As the Wrexham men continue
to battle for promotion,
the women's team
is nearing their finish line
with a critical match
this weekend away to Rhyl.
Win this one, and they'll
have won the league
and set themselves up
for a significant promotion
up the football pyramid.
HUMPHREY: The women's team are
coming off the back
of their big win
against Connah's Quay
and they're looking
really confident,
as well they should.
If they win this game,
they clinch the league.
The fact that we could
win the league is massive.
That's what all the girls want.
We want to take this
to the next level,
and we want to make the town
and the owners proud, really.
So we will do whatever it takes
to win that game.
STEVE: You've got
to give Rhyl credit,
because they held Connah's Quay,
they held Llandudno,
and only just lost out
2-1 there.
So they're not gonna roll over.
It's not gonna be easy.
We know that we're
going away from home.
And again, like, we've spoke
about that target on our back.
You know, they'll want
to spoil the party, really.
They're not gonna
They're not gonna enjoy us,
you know, beating them
and celebrating
winning the league
at their place.
GEMMA: I'll try not to look
as ill as I did last week.
- [laughs]
- Yeah. Oh.
Yeah.
GEMMA: That was
some pressure last week.
The girls did
really well, though.
Because they knew
what was at stake last week.
STEVE: Yeah.
And just how resilient
they were.
They were brilliant.
STEVE: Mm-hmm.
They were brilliant. Ah.
Got to get the job done
first, though.
Go on. Definitely.
Excited for it.
Let's do it.
Let's smash it.
Let's beat them.
'Cause we can.
We have done.
[laughs]
So yeah, we'll do it.
And hopefully the pressure
of a cup game
won't get to us,
'cause it's the league.
And obviously,
we've, um, won every game
so far in the league.
So hopefully we just continue
our, um, winning streak.
[tense music]
STEVE: We know exactly
what we've got to do, okay?
We cannot make sure
that we obviously
take this game lightly.
These won't want to see us
to come here
and turn them over,
simple as that.
Last week was a slog.
This week, let the football
do the talking.
Get the ball down.
Use the pitch.
How good does that feel,
coming in,
when you've got 50-odd people
giving you a clap?
Yeah? All right.
That's the ambition, yeah?
That's the drive, okay?
Let's send them home
fucking happy,
and let's send them home that
we fucking played well today,
and we've done
our fucking jobs, okay?
No regrets
at the end of this game.
Come on. Let's go.
[applause]
[whistle blows]
GEMMA: Come on, then, girls!
STEVE: Relax, Lil!
DAVID: Other side, Lili!
HUMPHREY: Their confidence
was warranted.
And they came flying
out of the traps
and scored three early goals.
♪
[bell dings]
[all cheering]
GEMMA: Whoo!
[all cheering]
♪
So I'm delighted to say,
look who's next to me here.
- Hello.
- Mr. Humphrey Ker is
at the game today.
Fantastic.
What do you think so far?
It's going well.
3-0 up.
We just just missed a penalty,
but I'm hoping
that won't come back
to haunt us in the second half.
But yeah, it's going well.
Obviously,
three points here means
Means the title, so um, yeah.
It's a great day.
[players yelling]
[all cheering]
[bell dings]
[indistinct chatter]
Yes, when people talk about
the beautiful game,
they often, uh, summon
the spirit of 1970s Brazil.
But I think those people
maybe haven't seen
2023 Wrexham women.
[cheers and applause]
Rosie Hughes is unbelievable.
I've been lucky enough
to see her
a couple of times in action now.
And you know,
she's a Wrexham legend.
Yeah, I'm really chuffed
for her.
I'm really chuffed
for all the girls,
and it'd be great to have
a double celebration
at the end of the season.
[speaking Welsh]
Thank you very much.
HUMPHREY:
Cheers, Tommy. Take care.
They're working hard,
working as a unit,
and frankly putting Rhyl
to the sword.
GEMMA: Go on.
Yes!
[crowd yelling]
[Gemma laughs]
Oh. Come on, Rosie.
Yes!
[cheers and applause]
BOTH: Yes, we've got Rosie ♪
Super Rosie Hughes ♪
Just don't think
you understand ♪
[whistle blows]
GEMMA: Yes!
[all cheering]
[cheers and applause]
HUMPHREY: So the full-time
score is Rhyl 1,
Wrexham 11,
which is an unbelievable way
to end the Adran North League.
However, unfortunately,
despite having won the title
of the Adran Northern League
And that's a fantastic
achievement in and of itself
It doesn't yet mean promotion.
There remains the playoff game
against the winners
of the Adran South,
and that is Briton Ferry.
So we've still got
one more game.
[all cheering]
Oh, amazing.
I mean, it feels like
all the hard work's paid off.
We should have done it
last season,
and and to do it
in an 11-1 win today
and get a goal for meself,
it is a dream come true,
to be honest.
And to do it for this badge
as well is
Yeah, it means everything to me.
You know, playing for this club
and doing it for these people
is is something
I've always dreamed of doing,
and the fact that I've done it
is something
I'll always be proud of.
GEMMA: We won the league.
However, that didn't guarantee
automatic promotion.
But we'd still won our league.
And I thought that
that was really important
that we celebrated that,
for the girls to have
their celebration.
Because if we didn't go up,
it was still
an incredible achievement.
[applause]
[all cheering]
There's a little message
for you here,
from one of our chairmen.
RYAN: Hey there,
this is just a quick message
for the Wrexham AFC women.
I, um boy.
I just want to say
congratulations on on, um
On one of the most incredible
and historic seasons,
uh, so far, um, we've ever had.
Um, you know, by we,
I mean this club and you.
Uh, you guys have been
putting up
what I guess could
only be described
as basketball scores.
It's been incredible.
Um, and I just want
to say congratulations,
and thank you, uh,
for putting your heart, soul,
and last drop of blood
into every single one
of these matches.
Um, each and every one of you
are heroes.
And uh, I'm sending you tons
of love from from New York.
Love you, Ryan.
GEMMA: There we go.
[laughs]
[all cheering]
[Robbie Williams' "Angels"]
ALL: And down the waterfall ♪
Wherever it may take me ♪
I know that life
won't break me ♪
When I come to call ♪
GEMMA: Working in football
is incredibly difficult.
It's it's a lot of time.
There's a lot of hours
that go into it.
ALL:
I'm loving angels instead ♪
But it's all worth it when
you can help play some part,
however small,
into growing the club
that you have idolized
for your entire life.
It means the absolute world.
It really does.
ALL:
She won't forsake me ♪
[laughter]
I'm loving angels instead ♪
[yelling, chattering]
SINGER: Don't wash away ♪
Memories left behind ♪
♪
Stars can be revealed ♪
When the skies clear ♪
♪
Voices raised
to help generation ♪
[child giggles, seagull cries]
oakislandtk
[indistinct chatter]
[laughter]
[soft music]
♪
[keypad beeps]
ROSIE: I work in
the largest prison in the UK.
It's a male prison, category C.
[beeps]
It can hold a maximum
of 2,100 prisoners.
[walkie-talkie beeps]
I'm actually
a manager there now.
I've been there 5 1/2 years.
I used to be a POELT mentor
which was, um,
where you introduce,
like, the new starters
to the prison,
so I've done loads of tours.
So I'll just give you
one of them type of tours.
♪
So we've got a custodial caf,
where you can stop and go
and get some food.
A reception area, which
The prisoners come off
these GEOAmey buses,
head through reception.
Kitchen's here on the left.
Food for over 1,800 prisoners.
You just kind of have
to make yourself aware.
Like, you have to have
trust in your staff,
but also back yourself.
Never put yourself
in an unsafe position.
Of course,
we're taught, you know,
how to look after ourselves,
how to protect ourselves.
Use all the tools
that you have
A baton, handcuffs, radio.
Alert staff
whenever you need them.
I found myself being
in this line of work
because I'm not
the type of person that can
sit still or sit in an office.
It's so hands-on.
You're kind of free
to be yourself.
That's where I flex.
Like this.
[laughs]
And it's a people's business,
at the end of the day.
You know,
you're working with people.
We're we're there
as parents, as teachers,
as health care, firefighters.
It's an emergency service job.
Oh, I follow you.
I feel proud every day
to put the uniform on,
to clip the belt on.
♪
The job that I do is difficult.
It's emotionally straining.
It's hard work,
but it's also rewarding.
I've had family members
that have been in prison.
[indistinct chatter]
I grew grew up
going to visit prisons.
I've seen my sister in prison,
my brother,
you know,
so it wasn't new to me.
Um, and I know
they're just humans,
at the end of the day.
So it's easy for me
to, you know, be there.
No, I don't think so.
I think we're pretty much
[cheers and applause]
[rock music]
MARK: Hello, everyone.
Welcome to Wrexham.
And wow, what an occasion
we've got here.
Wrexham playing
at the Racecourse.
The atmosphere here
is fantastic.
The crowds are wonderful.
- Let's go, Wrexham!
- Up Wrexham!
Come on, Jonesy.
Come on!
[cheering]
RYAN: One thing that a lot of
people don't know and realize
is that the number one
goal scorer for Wrexham
is not Paul Mullin.
It's not Ollie Palmer.
It's not Elliot Lee.
It's not Sam Dalby.
It's Rosie Hughes.
MARK: [indistinct]
Clears it now.
White is on the chase.
Will she get there first?
Yes, she does.
She knocks it past the player.
Hughes now up against
the last defender with White,
and it's a first one-on-one.
Hughes passed,
and Hughes got a goal!
[cheers and applause]
♪
Wrexham take the lead.
It had to be Rosie Hughes.
It had to be.
[cheers and applause]
SINGER: Don't forget
where you came from ♪
Don't forget
what you're made of ♪
The ones who were there ♪
When no one else would care ♪
Don't be afraid to cry now ♪
Even when the world
comes crashing in ♪
♪
Don't forget to sing
when you win ♪
♪
Don't forget to sing
when you win ♪
ROB: The men's team is
currently in second place
midway through the season.
But Wrexham has another team
that is in first place
and is, for lack
of a better expression,
kicking the living shit
out of everyone.
[Sencha Green's "Let's Go"]
♪
SENCHA:
Have you seen this, unh ♪
You could even
call it genius, unh ♪
If we shoot for the stars
and we land on the moon ♪
Then we party on Venus, unh ♪
GEMMA: It's not just the men
at Wrexham Football Club.
There is a women's section.
It's very similar
on the women's side
to the men's side.
The women are in a really
good, strong position
to be challenging for promotion.
SENCHA: It's a moment when
I pull up on the scene ♪
Let's go ♪
Hey, let's go ♪
All eyes on me
when I pull up ♪
GEMMA:
We are the women's first team,
unbeaten in the league so far.
Won every game.
SENCHA: Hey, let's go,
all eyes on me ♪
GEMMA: Looking for promotion
to get up
to the highest league in Wales,
which is where we want to be.
There's so many people are
looking at our results
and our players
because our players are special,
and they deserve every bit
of attention that they get.
SENCHA: It's a moment when
I pull up on the scene ♪
Let's go ♪
ROSIE:
I am Wrexham's goal scorer.
I'm a nuisance.
I'm I'm a pain.
Defenders do not want
to defend me.
I've scored three hat tricks
in one game before,
against my former team,
which, you know, sorry,
but I love every goal.
Yes!
STEVE: Rosie Hughes,
character-wise,
is is great to have around.
Very uplifting,
confident individual.
SENCHA: Burn it up all day,
all night ♪
Never get enough ♪
ROSIE: When I'm on the pitch,
a fire within me,
it just kind of explodes.
I look like I'm laughing
in the opponents' faces,
but I'm not.
I'm just
I'm just happy for me.
SENCHA: It's a moment
when I pull up on the scene ♪
MARK: You can see
on the pitch,
the quality of touch
is fabulous.
And you know,
the pitch isn't perfect,
but she tames it superbly.
She's ludicrous.
SENCHA: All eyes on me
when I pull up ♪
Let's go ♪
CHILD: Thank you.
[indistinct chatter]
ROSIE: I'd love to sign it.
I do believe that
I'm the female Paul Mullin.
Not that I'm gonna
compare myself to him,
'cause I feel like
he's the male Rosie Hughes.
I know exactly how he feels,
and I'm sure he knows
how I feel.
I've got girls
shouting my name on the pitch
and, like, coming to watch us.
Like, for me, that's everything.
That's all I've ever wanted,
is people
just to come
and watch me play football.
Granted, it's not in front
of a load of viewers,
which I would love.
[rock music]
FANS:
Wrexham, Wrexham, Wrexham!
MARK:
That's that's just the thing.
The Wrexham women's home games
are not at the Racecourse.
We're here in Rhos,
one of the satellite towns
just outside Wrexham.
We play at
Rhos Aelwyd's grounds.
We have one small stand,
which actually isn't open
to the public.
There's no bleachers.
It's just people
with a metal barrier
around the pitch leaning on it
and watching it.
Must be
a couple of hundred here,
but this is growth.
That's all right.
That's okay.
NEIL: It's all about
the knock-on effect, really.
It's you know, with the men's
team winning yesterday,
um, I think a few more are
starting to become interested
in the women's side as well,
which is
Which can only benefit,
you know, the girls.
They want
They want supporters here to
You know, to be here and
And encourage them
and support them.
So we're on the start
of of what is
a really, really exciting
journey for them, I think.
GEMMA: Go on. Go on, Rosie.
Yes! Yes!
GEMMA: Come on, Rosie!
[all cheering]
Whoo!
- Yeah, Rosie!
- Yes!
That's the way to end a half.
We didn't know that there was
a women's team in Wrexham
until we took
stewardship of the club
and recognized that there was
a program that was in place.
And they, just like the men,
need to win the league
to get promoted up
and out and into
the professional ranks.
SHAUN: The club is a group
of different teams,
from the powerchair team
to a seven-a-side team,
you know, to the youth teams
and the girls teams.
So the women's team is
as much a part of the club.
MIA: We play on a nice,
lovely pitch.
I say lovely.
I use that term quite loosely.
On certain days,
it's not the nicest place
[laughing]
Place to be.
Yeah, we try not to we do
I was gonna say
we don't complain.
We do complain.
Um, we all do it
because we love football,
and because we love
the club that is Wrexham.
And I think you can see that
when you come to games.
We don't just turn up
for a laugh.
We turn up and we take it
quite seriously,
because we know the importance
of wearing that badge.
[indistinct yelling]
ROB: Oh!
[all cheering]
Wow.
Was that Lili?
- Lili, yeah.
- Whoo!
MARK: And with that
dominant 5-2 win,
the Wrexham women sit
first in the league,
neck and neck with
the only other undefeated
team, Connah's Quay Nomads,
who aim to spoil Wrexham's
chances at promotion.
This way?
[laughing] Ladies!
That was absolutely amazing.
Wow. Wow.
That was my first game,
and I've seen you guys win
as many times
as I've seen the men win.
[laughter]
We definitely need to work on
drainage on that pitch.
And maybe new washing machines,
because I don't know
how you're gonna
How we're gonna look at that!
[laughter]
That's amazing.
Well, congratulations.
Thank you for having me.
And, um, Ryan and I have been
talking quite a bit about
how we want to prioritize
this program.
And for so many reasons
in the past, it hasn't been.
You're all very important to us,
and we want to continue
to support you.
And if you keep winning,
it makes it a lot easier.
[laughter]
So thank you.
More goals next time.
[laughter]
Next time.
I came here for a hat trick,
and I don't know
[laughter]
It was great.
It was fantastic.
Thank you.
[applause]
HUMPHREY: Last year, both
the men's and women's teams
very narrowly missed out
on promotion.
This year, things are looking
a little brighter.
Right now, our women's team
is an amateur side.
None of the players get paid.
If the women win
the Adran North League,
they will then go into
a playoff against the winner
of the Adran South League,
and the winner of that will be
promoted to the Adran Premier.
If that's the case,
then we have grand plans
that involve going
to a semi-professional status,
which means paying the players.
I'm just giving you a hard time.
[laughter]
Congratulations.
- ROSIE: Yeah. Thank you.
- It was great.
I don't necessarily
even just think
it's an ethical responsibility
to do something like that.
I think that there is a massive
business to be created there.
Wow, this is cra
I can't believe
you played in this.
Yeah.
There's so much to do there.
Which is great, you know.
It's daunting, too, for us.
It's like, for us
to cultivate and grow
that business as well
is gonna be
a real privilege and fun,
but you know,
we've got a long road ahead.
MIA: For us as players,
all we can do is
put out really good
performances on the pitch
and just keep winning.
Prove you're worth watching,
you're worth following.
You know, prove to us
your your worth,
because that's how
we get more attention.
That's how, you know,
we bring more success.
Not just to the women's game,
but to football
as a whole for Wrexham,
and I think that's all
we need to focus on.
[birds chirping]
LILI: I'm 17,
and I'm in school
9:00 till 3:30 most days.
Tuesdays and Thursdays,
I'm at work.
So I work 5:00 till 11:00.
So yeah.
No time
for anything else, really.
[indistinct chatter]
Rob's cleaned up
from the other tea.
Thank you. You can follow
It's actually vile, innit?
[laughs]
I'm a kitchen porter.
Probably one of the hardest
and most humbling jobs
you'll ever do.
The six hours goes quite fast
when you're bent over a sink.
This is hot off the kettle.
LILI: How the fuck am I
gonna get that off?
[laughs]
GEMMA: We do ask a lot
of these players,
considering they are
amateur players.
They're not professional.
They're not on contracts
in any way, shape, or form.
So we play football
on top of a working day.
COWORKER: Chilling.
Are you coming on Sunday,
or what?
- COWORKER: No, I'm not.
- Why?
- COWORKER: I'm busy.
- You're busy?
All right. Fucking hell.
It is tough trying
to balance everything out,
but end of the day,
it's what's got to be done.
Everyone else has got to do it,
so I'll do it as well,
you know what I mean?
Yeah.
[laughs] Stop looking at me.
COWORKER: Does it feel like
it's like a dream?
You know, first you're, like,
playing your dream career
in front of loads of people,
and then next day,
you're cleaning pots.
LILI: I know. It's mad, innit?
COWORKER: And do you enjoy it?
- What, working or playing?
- Playing.
Oh, I love it.
It's I live and breathe for it.
I, like yeah,
I love every second of it.
But you know?
I'm just telling her
that when she's famous,
she needs to come in.
When I'm famous.
We'll see.
COWORKER: Yeah.
Do you reckon?
COWORKER: Yeah.
I think
you're a good footballer.
- I've read about you.
- [laughs]
[gentle piano music]
Started playing football
at around six years old.
Obviously there weren't
many girls teams around
at that time,
so my dad threw me in with
With the under-six lads team,
which was a bit daunting
at the time.
My dad always used to tell me,
"Get involved, get involved."
And eventually I did.
I was probably the best player
on the team at the time.
[laughs]
About age 13, I got scouted
to play for Everton.
Spent a couple of seasons there,
um, which I absolutely loved.
Playing against big opposition
like Man City, Chelsea.
I was then drafted in,
then, with the Welsh squad.
I played at that level
at 15s and 17s,
which was an unreal experience,
playing in countries
like Sweden, Portugal.
And then I returned,
then, back
Back playing for Wrexham,
where I'm at now, and
♪
I probably would have stayed
at Everton a bit longer
if I hadn't lost my dad.
Um, he struggled
with mental health
and anxiety, depression.
Um, people knew
he was going through it.
I guess we just didn't know
how much it really was
affecting him.
We knew it was getting bad,
but that was a cycle
we'd dealt with a lot.
My dad took his own life, um,
18th of April, I think, 2021.
[somber music]
GEMMA: Lili's gone through
quite a difficult period
in her life at such a young age.
Now, her dad, like like mine,
is the reason why
she comes to watch Wrexham,
why she's the fan that she is.
LILI: Yeah, he was a massive
fan of the club as well.
Some of he used to make
these stupid videos,
trying to trying to catch
Rob and Ryan's attention
all the time.
Um
I'm here with,
um, my daughter Lili,
uh, who's also played
for Wrexham girls.
Yeah.
Her dad was was absolutely
What an incredible man
her dad was.
And you know, we knew her dad
really, really well.
[laughing]
He was a massive character,
and everyone seems to know him,
and everyone seems to have
a story about him,
which which is very comforting.
I do feel like he's still
with us all the time.
He's at my football games, watching.
The flag we designed
after after he passed.
Every time I step on the pitch
and every time I step off
is, would I have made
my dad proud?
What would my dad think of this?
And what he'd say and what he'd
think of my performance, so
[The Declan Swans' "It's
Always Sunny in Wrexham"]
♪
SINGER: He ordered
a medium doner kebab ♪
GEMMA: She is Wrexham,
just like I feel that I am.
And you know, for her to pull
on a Wrexham kit every week
means the
Means the world to her.
You know, if she's here
and she helps us gain promotion,
it would be pretty special
for her, I would say.
And you know, probably
more so than if it was
any other club that she might
have been playing for.
LILI: Almost since he's gone,
I've fell in love
with the club even more.
I honestly don't know
where I'd be
if I didn't have that support
and the people around the club
who are there for me
all the time.
I took his love
Love on for it, really.
♪
BOTH: Wrexham!
Knackered now.
[chuckles]
[crowd cheering]
GEMMA: You know,
football has, strangely,
always been seen
as a boys' sport.
Um, even though
the women's game was
Was much, much, much bigger
than the men's game.
So I think it's important
to have some context
around women's football.
Because, you know,
we've seen it of late.
There's been this huge
increase in interest.
England won the Euros.
You know, the women's game
in the U.S. is really big.
But for a long time,
women's football
has been in the wilderness.
[projector whirring]
Right back at its very origins
in the 1880s,
there were big teams that drew
massive crowds across the UK
and even internationally.
Women's football got
a real shot in the arm
during the First World War.
With all of the men away
fighting in the trenches
on the Western Front,
women's football was really
kind of the only game in town.
And even when
the men returned home,
the women's game still
remained enormously popular.
On December 26, 1920,
53,000 people turned out
to watch a women's game.
That is a crowd we can
only dream of at Wrexham
these days, um, and speaks
to the enormous
popularity of it.
In fact, it was so popular
that it was deemed
to be a threat
to the men's game,
and the FA took the step
in the following year, 1921,
to ban all women
from playing football,
saying, "The game of football
is unsuitable for females
and ought not
to be encouraged."
And they in fact banned
women's football
until the 1970s.
So women's football
was banned until 1971,
but a female football
committee at the FA
was not set up until 1993.
And thank goodness it was,
because without that,
you wouldn't be seeing
all the many manifold triumphs
of women's football today.
[upbeat rock music]
♪
ROB: Of course we want
to be a part of that,
and it's definitely
a long road ahead,
but it's worth it.
KIM: Rob and Ryan, of course,
they're supporting us.
And Blake, she obviously,
um, sponsors our team as well.
When I first started Betty Buzz,
I set out to create
the best-tasting
sparkling drink out there.
[fizzing]
It's pretty special
that they are
supporting us in that way.
And you know, that makes us,
as a team and as a section,
feel feel very, very much
part of the club.
Gemma is the beating heart
of the entire
The entire club.
RYAN:
I'd say Gemma's heart extends
into the Wrexham
AFC men's club too.
She's putting her last drop
of blood into this
This this team, and
And building it and growing it.
It's gonna be incredible.
I'm really, really
excited about it.
[indistinct chatter]
GEMMA: I oversee
the entire women's
and girls section at the club.
So that's all the way
from our little under-eights
all the way up
to our senior women's team,
and organizing everything
in between, basically.
[projector clicking]
I'm born and bred Wrexham.
Always had a football
by my feet.
Um, I've never really been
a girly-girl, if I'm honest.
Um, yeah, I grew up with,
you know,
going on the football field
with the kids
that lived locally.
There might have been
me and one other girl,
and then the rest of them
were all boys.
And that's that
Yeah, that was me.
I loved it.
My husband's Gareth Owen,
one of the best midfielders
we've had at the club.
His main sort of time period
was the '90s.
I grew up watching him, yeah,
which was quite strange,
you know, going back to
when you used to stand
at the side of the pitch
and high-fiving players.
Yeah, that was
He was one of them,
which is a little bit weird, but
he is now the under-19's manager
with our women's side as well.
I try and learn as much
as I can off him,
and yeah, he's he's great.
He's he's playing a big part,
at the moment,
in the growth
of our women's side as well.
We will not be putting you
up front again.
No, Gem, listen!
Full-size oh, my
[laughter]
Gemma Owen,
head of all female
everything that goes on
at Wrexham.
No! Next one.
Come on, Grace.
It's got to be you.
MIA: I don't think
football for women
would be as big as it is in
Wrexham if it wasn't for her.
So North Wales can basically
thank Gemma Owen for that.
GEMMA: Oh, oh! Oh!
Oh, oh!
I'm trying to give
as many girls and women
the opportunity to get
involved with what I think is
the best sport in the world.
And being in amongst the club
that I have been supporting
for my entire life is
It's a dream.
It is an absolute dream.
ROSIE: It's Connah's Quay.
They make me nervous.
And they're awful.
They're not nice players, either.
We're top of the league now,
and they're only
They're second,
but with two points below us.
So obviously, if they win,
they're gonna go back
to the top of the league.
Um
In the changing rooms, like,
I know, like,
everyone will be nervous.
And it gets to you.
You can either get
Let the pressure get to you,
or you can perform really well.
We used to have these feelings
against Llandudno,
because last season, they were
probably our main competitors.
But this season,
it's been Connah's Quay.
So it's 90 minutes, isn't it?
And we all we can be
better than them.
We can beat any team
if we put our minds to it.
Just have to do the easy ball.
Just play football.
[rock music]
♪
GEMMA: Quite a big game
for us today.
Top of the table clash.
And we've still got to play
them twice in the league.
So, you know, these
These two games
are gonna be vitally important
to us hopefully,
fingers crossed,
winning the title.
So I think
it'll be a close game.
I don't expect anything other
than it being a close game.
STEVE: Right.
We've said everything
that we need to say, okay?
We don't need to sell it
to you anymore, okay?
It's a game, okay, that we have
to take seriously, okay?
We've got to be aggressive
with and without
the ball today, all right?
So let's make sure
that we get bodies
in and around the box, okay?
Be patient
with each other as well.
Come on, girls.
Yeah. Big fucking 90.
[applause]
Come on. Come on.
GEMMA: Here they come now.
[cheers and applause]
They look ready.
STEVE: On your toes, girls!
[air horn blaring]
[frenetic jazz music]
Yeah, just screen
in front of your toes.
Yes. Through toes.
You can see that we're both
very, very good teams.
[air horn blaring]
And probably deserve to be
in the Welsh Prem, to be fair.
[all cheering]
[air horn blowing]
FAN: Oh, Connah's Quay!
BOTH: Oh, Connah's Quay!
Is wonderful!
BOTH: Is wonderful!
LILI: Their coaching staff
are very barky.
The players are very barky.
And a few tough decisions
made against us,
and we have to bark back
louder than that.
Rosie.
Straight in on it, mate.
Straight in on it.
Come on, Wrexham!
I think that we managed
to do that.
♪
[indistinct yelling]
[cheers and applause]
STEVE: Get them!
PERSON: Whoo!
[cheers and applause]
LILI: Everyone there put
their body on the line.
The tackles were
Tackles were being put in,
passes were being made quickly.
And you know, when one player
was going 10%, we were
10% less, we were just
getting that extra 10%
from somewhere else.
[all cheering]
♪
We've got a good good little
team going, I think.
[all cheering]
[chatter, laughter]
Go on! Yeah!
STEVE: Listen in.
Today, I couldn't give a shit
how you win a game of football.
It's about fucking digging in
and making sure
that we win a game of football.
We fucking enjoy it right now,
and we enjoy it tomorrow
in the gym.
Tuesday, Wednesday,
our fucking heads turn now.
Sunday, we get it
fucking wrapped up.
We win the fucking league
and get everything
we fucking deserve.
[all cheering]
ROSIE: Yeah, I'm so proud
of my team.
Proper happy.
Excited, buzzing.
Feeling amazing.
Just, uh, can't contain
my excitement, really.
[all cheering]
Rosie ♪
- BOTH: Super Rosie Hughes ♪
- Yeah!
BOTH: Just don't think
you understand ♪
She plays the red and white ♪
She's flipping dynamite ♪
We've got
super Rosie Hughes ♪
[soft music]
LILI: It's just
It's unbelievable, isn't it?
Putting that
Putting that shirt on
and and playing
for that badge is something
that every single girl
on the team knows
Knows what that weight carries.
And you know,
putting two, then three,
is it's just
an unbelievable feeling,
and I can't wait to do it
again next Sunday.
[chuckles]
[indistinct chatter]
Hello, ladies and gentlemen.
Welcome to the 1864 Suite.
I've got to introduce
our former player guests
for tonight.
Making his Football League
debut for Wrexham
in September 1997, he also won
two Welsh Premier cup medals,
and also played for Wales
at full international.
He is a Wrexham lad.
Neil Roberts, everybody.
[applause]
Your time at Wrexham, Neil
What was the highlight for you?
You know, I'm standing here now,
and I'm still in awe of Mickey,
sat at the table there,
'cause he was
one of my heroes growing up.
More importantly than anything
is having my daughter,
one of my daughters,
here tonight, who represents
the women's football team
for Wrexham.
And, uh
[applause]
MIA: I don't remember
football ever being something
that wasn't part of my life.
As soon as I could walk,
I think I was kicking a ball,
as the cliché goes.
NEIL: We had Mia when I was
I was 24.
Came as really no surprise
for her to go down
the footballing route.
[soft music]
First time to have
a look through it together.
It's basically something
my, um, nana put together, to
For me and my brother
and sister to have to,
you know, look back on
to see your little
Little career.
Um, it captures basically
the last few seasons
of your career, really.
NEIL:
Yeah, last couple seasons.
"Local hero Roberts
keeps Dragons in hunt."
NEIL: That season started
on a on a massive high for me,
because I was captain
of my hometown club.
Um, there was a there was
a very good squad in place.
And then, unfortunately,
it kind of took
a turn for the worse.
A couple of players
moved on to
To what was
better opportunities for them,
and we became
a very young squad.
This is the painful bit.
End of an era.
NEIL: Yeah. That's me in tears.
[laughs]
See, like, to read that,
it just
No, it's not
It breaks my heart.
It breaks my heart.
Um
ANNOUNCER: All right.
Talk about this in a second.
Wrexham are out
of the Football League.
They've lost by 2 goals to 0
this evening at Edgar Street.
Gary Hooper to the first half.
Theo Robinson,
his first goal in six
NEIL: It did feel
like a nightmare.
And for me personally, it
It was really tough,
because I was captain
of the team that
That got relegated.
So, you know, that was a
That was a tough pill
to swallow for me, really,
and still is to this day.
My personal take on it
is that it's, um
It it did take
a big piece of me.
And I think it caught up
with me in in later life,
and I became
a little bit distant.
And you know, maybe
Maybe, to a point,
a different person as well.
It's had a massive effect
on my on my life,
especially from
a family point of view.
It was hard for us
to go out as a family
without being subject
to certain things being said.
Because, you know, obviously,
the club does mean
that much to people.
And that obviously
shouldn't happen.
But you can see
why it does happen,
because if they're gonna put
fault on someone, the captain,
you know, he's he's well
up there in, you know,
people to to blame.
Didn't know it was
after 87 years.
NEIL: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
[laughs]
NEIL: You say all the right
things to make me feel better.
[both laughing]
This season, for me, is
It's more than football.
It might allow me a new
A new start, in many ways,
and a new a new chapter
in my life and my family's life.
You know, that's the one thing
that Rob and Ryan have
given everybody in the town,
is is belief.
Is belief and a kind of
"dare to dream" sort of thing.
MIA: Basically just a summary
and a plan
for for me to finish this
when Wrexham got back
in the league.
Touch wood.
Hopefully hopefully we get
to finish it in a few months.
Women's there, men's there.
Let's hope, uh
Let's hope we do it.
MIA: Yeah.
But we'll do that together.
Yeah.
All right.
[tense percussive music]
[engine rumbling]
♪
GEMMA: How you doing?
You all right?
Good to see you.
DAVID: You all right, mate?
- ROSIE: Thank you.
- How are we? Okay?
[laughter, chatter]
MARK:
As the Wrexham men continue
to battle for promotion,
the women's team
is nearing their finish line
with a critical match
this weekend away to Rhyl.
Win this one, and they'll
have won the league
and set themselves up
for a significant promotion
up the football pyramid.
HUMPHREY: The women's team are
coming off the back
of their big win
against Connah's Quay
and they're looking
really confident,
as well they should.
If they win this game,
they clinch the league.
The fact that we could
win the league is massive.
That's what all the girls want.
We want to take this
to the next level,
and we want to make the town
and the owners proud, really.
So we will do whatever it takes
to win that game.
STEVE: You've got
to give Rhyl credit,
because they held Connah's Quay,
they held Llandudno,
and only just lost out
2-1 there.
So they're not gonna roll over.
It's not gonna be easy.
We know that we're
going away from home.
And again, like, we've spoke
about that target on our back.
You know, they'll want
to spoil the party, really.
They're not gonna
They're not gonna enjoy us,
you know, beating them
and celebrating
winning the league
at their place.
GEMMA: I'll try not to look
as ill as I did last week.
- [laughs]
- Yeah. Oh.
Yeah.
GEMMA: That was
some pressure last week.
The girls did
really well, though.
Because they knew
what was at stake last week.
STEVE: Yeah.
And just how resilient
they were.
They were brilliant.
STEVE: Mm-hmm.
They were brilliant. Ah.
Got to get the job done
first, though.
Go on. Definitely.
Excited for it.
Let's do it.
Let's smash it.
Let's beat them.
'Cause we can.
We have done.
[laughs]
So yeah, we'll do it.
And hopefully the pressure
of a cup game
won't get to us,
'cause it's the league.
And obviously,
we've, um, won every game
so far in the league.
So hopefully we just continue
our, um, winning streak.
[tense music]
STEVE: We know exactly
what we've got to do, okay?
We cannot make sure
that we obviously
take this game lightly.
These won't want to see us
to come here
and turn them over,
simple as that.
Last week was a slog.
This week, let the football
do the talking.
Get the ball down.
Use the pitch.
How good does that feel,
coming in,
when you've got 50-odd people
giving you a clap?
Yeah? All right.
That's the ambition, yeah?
That's the drive, okay?
Let's send them home
fucking happy,
and let's send them home that
we fucking played well today,
and we've done
our fucking jobs, okay?
No regrets
at the end of this game.
Come on. Let's go.
[applause]
[whistle blows]
GEMMA: Come on, then, girls!
STEVE: Relax, Lil!
DAVID: Other side, Lili!
HUMPHREY: Their confidence
was warranted.
And they came flying
out of the traps
and scored three early goals.
♪
[bell dings]
[all cheering]
GEMMA: Whoo!
[all cheering]
♪
So I'm delighted to say,
look who's next to me here.
- Hello.
- Mr. Humphrey Ker is
at the game today.
Fantastic.
What do you think so far?
It's going well.
3-0 up.
We just just missed a penalty,
but I'm hoping
that won't come back
to haunt us in the second half.
But yeah, it's going well.
Obviously,
three points here means
Means the title, so um, yeah.
It's a great day.
[players yelling]
[all cheering]
[bell dings]
[indistinct chatter]
Yes, when people talk about
the beautiful game,
they often, uh, summon
the spirit of 1970s Brazil.
But I think those people
maybe haven't seen
2023 Wrexham women.
[cheers and applause]
Rosie Hughes is unbelievable.
I've been lucky enough
to see her
a couple of times in action now.
And you know,
she's a Wrexham legend.
Yeah, I'm really chuffed
for her.
I'm really chuffed
for all the girls,
and it'd be great to have
a double celebration
at the end of the season.
[speaking Welsh]
Thank you very much.
HUMPHREY:
Cheers, Tommy. Take care.
They're working hard,
working as a unit,
and frankly putting Rhyl
to the sword.
GEMMA: Go on.
Yes!
[crowd yelling]
[Gemma laughs]
Oh. Come on, Rosie.
Yes!
[cheers and applause]
BOTH: Yes, we've got Rosie ♪
Super Rosie Hughes ♪
Just don't think
you understand ♪
[whistle blows]
GEMMA: Yes!
[all cheering]
[cheers and applause]
HUMPHREY: So the full-time
score is Rhyl 1,
Wrexham 11,
which is an unbelievable way
to end the Adran North League.
However, unfortunately,
despite having won the title
of the Adran Northern League
And that's a fantastic
achievement in and of itself
It doesn't yet mean promotion.
There remains the playoff game
against the winners
of the Adran South,
and that is Briton Ferry.
So we've still got
one more game.
[all cheering]
Oh, amazing.
I mean, it feels like
all the hard work's paid off.
We should have done it
last season,
and and to do it
in an 11-1 win today
and get a goal for meself,
it is a dream come true,
to be honest.
And to do it for this badge
as well is
Yeah, it means everything to me.
You know, playing for this club
and doing it for these people
is is something
I've always dreamed of doing,
and the fact that I've done it
is something
I'll always be proud of.
GEMMA: We won the league.
However, that didn't guarantee
automatic promotion.
But we'd still won our league.
And I thought that
that was really important
that we celebrated that,
for the girls to have
their celebration.
Because if we didn't go up,
it was still
an incredible achievement.
[applause]
[all cheering]
There's a little message
for you here,
from one of our chairmen.
RYAN: Hey there,
this is just a quick message
for the Wrexham AFC women.
I, um boy.
I just want to say
congratulations on on, um
On one of the most incredible
and historic seasons,
uh, so far, um, we've ever had.
Um, you know, by we,
I mean this club and you.
Uh, you guys have been
putting up
what I guess could
only be described
as basketball scores.
It's been incredible.
Um, and I just want
to say congratulations,
and thank you, uh,
for putting your heart, soul,
and last drop of blood
into every single one
of these matches.
Um, each and every one of you
are heroes.
And uh, I'm sending you tons
of love from from New York.
Love you, Ryan.
GEMMA: There we go.
[laughs]
[all cheering]
[Robbie Williams' "Angels"]
ALL: And down the waterfall ♪
Wherever it may take me ♪
I know that life
won't break me ♪
When I come to call ♪
GEMMA: Working in football
is incredibly difficult.
It's it's a lot of time.
There's a lot of hours
that go into it.
ALL:
I'm loving angels instead ♪
But it's all worth it when
you can help play some part,
however small,
into growing the club
that you have idolized
for your entire life.
It means the absolute world.
It really does.
ALL:
She won't forsake me ♪
[laughter]
I'm loving angels instead ♪
[yelling, chattering]
SINGER: Don't wash away ♪
Memories left behind ♪
♪
Stars can be revealed ♪
When the skies clear ♪
♪
Voices raised
to help generation ♪
[child giggles, seagull cries]
oakislandtk