Rachel Rowe

Rachel Susan Rowe (born 13 September 1992) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a forward for the Wales national team and FA Women's Super League club Reading.

Rachel Rowe
Rowe for Wales in 2015
Personal information
Full name Rachel Susan Rowe[1]
Date of birth (1992-09-13) 13 September 1992
Position(s) Winger / Forward
Club information
Current team
 Reading
Number 23
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2013 Cardiff City
2013–2015 Swansea City
2015– Reading 59 (6)
National team‡
2010–2011 Wales U19 6 (1)
2015– Wales 15 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:49, 20 December 2020 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 13:25, 7 July 2019 (UTC)

She began her senior career with Cardiff City before joining Swansea City in 2013. After two seasons, she joined Reading in February 2015, initially combining her playing career with a job in the prison service. She turned professional later the same year after helping the club win promotion to the FA Women's Super League. She made her international debut for Wales in 2017.

Early life

Rowe lived in Swansea, Wales where she began playing football at a young age. Her father suffered from alcoholism and she later commented that their "relationship deteriorated" due to his drinking before his death when Rowe was 21.[2] She took a job at HM Prison Swansea as an operational support guard and later fulfilled the same role at HM Prison Cardiff. The role included performing vehicle checks and escorting contractors onto prison wings to perform maintenance work. She later enrolled on a business management course provided by the Welsh Government.[3]

Club career

Rowe initially played for a local boys youth team but later stated that "nobody wanted to play with me". She was spotted by a scout from Swansea City Ladies and played for the club's youth academy.[2] However, she began her senior career with the club's local rivals Cardiff City and won the inaugural Welsh Premier Women's Football League title during the 2012–13 season, scoring in their decisive 5–2 victory over Wrexham in the final game of the season.[4] She returned to Swansea during the summer window soon after. However, she suffered a broken leg while playing against her former team during the first half of the following campaign.[3]

In February 2015, Rowe joined WSL 2 side Reading with assistant manager Kelly Chambers describing her as possessing "an abundance of competiveness along with her pace, strength and work rate".[5] Despite the move, Rowe remained semi-professional during her first year, making the 300-mile round trip from her home in Swansea to training three times every week while remaining in her job with the prison service.[3][6] In December 2015, she signed a professional contract with Reading following the club's promotion to FA Women's Super League.[7] Following promotion, Rowe converted to playing as a full-back for a period, having originally joined the club as a winger.[8]

At the start of the 2018–19 season, she featured in a 1–0 victory over Liverpool. However, the following month, she suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in a friendly match that ended her season after a single appearance. Despite her injury setback, she was offered a new contract with the club at the end of the campaign.[9] On 7 November 2020, Rowe played her 100th game for Reading.[10]

International career
Rowe (right) during her international debut in 2015

Having previously represented Wales at under-17 and under-19 level, Rowe made her debut for the senior side in Wales' first UEFA Women's Euro 2017 qualifying match against Austria starting in a 3–0 defeat in Sankt Pölten.[11] She made her international debut despite still working within the prison service.[3][6]

References
  1. "List of Players under Written Contract Registered Between 01/06/2018 and 30/06/2018" (PDF). The FA. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  2. O'Neill, Jen (15 March 2019). "'Kicking Through Mental Health' with Rachel Rowe (Wales & Reading FC Women)". She Kicks. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  3. Coleman, Tom (5 April 2018). "The women at the heart of an incredible Welsh football tale unfolding right now – and the fascinating stories behind them". WalesOnline. Media Wales. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  4. "Cardiff City Women win Womens Welsh Premier League title". BBC Sport. 19 May 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  5. "Rowe Joins Royal Women". Reading F.C. Women. 19 February 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  6. Morgan, Kate (30 August 2018). "Wales women 'can spark more pay' for female footballers". BBC News. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  7. "Reading Women: Rachel Rowe and Lois Roche sign contracts". BBC Sport. 7 December 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  8. Crocker, Tom (1 April 2016). "Reading FC Women defender Rachel Rowe eyes FA Cup success after "life-changing" promotion to WSL 1". Wokingham Today. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  9. "Rowe Remains a Royal". Reading F.C. Women. 2 May 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  10. "Rowe celebrates 100th appearance". readingfc.co.uk/. Reading F.C. 20 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  11. "Austria 3 – 0 Wales". UEFA. 22 September 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
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