Meet Rosie Hughes 

Rosie Hughes plays football for Wrexham Women’s Football Club, and she is following a Learn Welsh course with the National Centre for Learning Welsh, and its local course provider, Learn Welsh North East, run by Coleg Cambria. 

Rosie uses Welsh regularly during the club’s training sessions, and enjoys sharing Welsh footballing terms with other players. 

Here, we ask Rosie about her journey learning the language… 

Why and when did you start learning Welsh?  

I started learning Welsh when I was a child at school.  But since joining Wrexham Football Club, I speak more Welsh and enjoy attending lessons with my tutor, Huw Birkhead. 

How much Welsh do you speak every day?  

I try to use a little bit of Welsh every day, and I greet people in Welsh.  I enjoy speaking Welsh with the other girls at the club, and sharing Welsh footballing terms with them. 

What do you enjoy most about learning the language?  

I enjoy building confidence and learning more new words every day. 

What difference has learning Welsh made to you?  

I can now speak Welsh with my friends and my family, which is such a lovely feeling. 

Any advice for other learners who want to start learning Welsh?  

Welsh is such a beautiful language, and more people need to speak it.  Go for it! 

What’s next with Welsh?  

I am going to the language and heritage centre, Nant Gwrtheyrn, soon.  I am looking forward to meeting new people and speaking Welsh with them. 

Are the other girls at the club also learning Welsh?  

I started speaking a little bit of Welsh in the training sessions, so some of the other girls showed an interest.  They are now having lessons too, so we can practise speaking Welsh together. 

The National Centre for Learning Welsh and Coleg Cambria work together to provide a range of learning opportunities for Wrexham FC players and fans – for more information, please follow the next link: Wrexham AFC fans | Learn Welsh

Image: Rob Stead / Daniel Purdie