Wrexham Star Opens Up on How Prison Guard Experience Helped Influence Soccer Career- “It’s Made Me Better”

Rosie Hughes joined Wrexham in 2021 and there has been no looking back. Since then, she has made 46 appearances and plundered 100 goals for Ryan Reynolds’ side. An astonishing rate of more than 2 goals per game! As such, she has established a reputation as one of the finest players in the Welsh Premier Womens’ League. But what is the secret behind her incredible personality on the pitch? Per Rosie, the answer is not in training sessions or talent, but in her stint at HM Prison Berwyn.

In a recent interview, Hughes revealed how her soccer career impacts her prison job. She said, “I mean within prison I think it’s kind of gave me a bit, gained me more respect because it’s like I am a kind of a superstar around Wrexham you know and it’s a Wrexham prison so you know I’ve able to bring the welcome to Wrexham documentary in and I’ve brought BBC Sports Wales into the prison as well.” 

Moreover, Rosie Hughes revealed that, unlike common thinking, people in prison are quite respectful. This is reflected in how she treats the inmates and the respect she gets back in return. The Wrexham star added, “I was a bit worried to go back into the prison but no  it’s actually if anything made it better because now I look cool.” Hence, it’s safe to say that Hughes’ unconventional job has positively impacted her perspective on life and soccer.

Interestingly, until recently, the inmates were not aware that Rosie Hughes played for Wrexham AFC Women. And none other than Ryan Reynolds had a big part to play in revealing this secret.

How Wrexham owner Ryan Reynolds contributed to revealing Rosie Hughes’ secret

In an interview with BBC Sports Wales, the Wrexham goal-machine had revealed that she avoided mentioning her soccer career with the prisoners. However, the secret was spilled as a clip of Hughes and Reynolds went viral. Hughes had given an interview with the Deadpool actor which was broadcast on Football Focus. This came to the prisoners’ attention, and they realized they were being attended by a successful soccer player.

Regarding the same, Hughes said, “With prisoners, you tend to be friendly, not friends. You build relationships with them, but you keep it on a level where you don’t want to talk about anything personal.” But, she shared that the prisoners loved clip and for them, Hughes was the ‘best thing ever‘. Perhaps, this love and affection could be what is keeping Hughes in the prison job despite achieving massive success on the soccer pitch.