KEEP MUM? NO WAY! DAVIES IS ANOTHER HISTORIC FIRST FOR FC HOLLYWOOD
NANSI JONES’ Wrexham shirt is three times too big for her, but from where her mum Phoebe Davies sits, the size is perfect.
When the 27-year-old defender lines up for the club owned by Hollywood A-listers Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mcelhenney, she can shove as many layers under her strip to keep her daughter as warm as humanly possible.
Davies is Wrexham Women’s first semi-pro contracted footballer and mum to a two-year-old.
She said: “I’m playing football at the highest level I’ve ever played at.
“I’m also a mum and I think that’s more than worthy of celebration.”
The temptation, she says, when hearing the words “mum” and “football”, is to imagine a woman on the side of the pitch yelling about her child’s supposed prodigious talent.
“That’s the default. Not that you’re a mum playing football, doing both,” said Davies, who also has a full-time job as head of regional marketing for a Cheshire home developer.
The balancing act isn’t popular. In 2017, a survey of more than 3,000 female players found 45 per cent said they planned to retire early to have a family.
For those without a fulltime contract (Davies was one of 10 players to sign historic semi-professional contracts over the summer), the possibility of having children effectively translates to giving up football.
There’s also what Davies coins as “mum guilt”, or the sensation that one’s footballing exploits are selfish.
“When I was pregnant, I had every intention of returning to the pitch after a couple of months,” Davies explained.
“I knew it would take some time, but when you have a child, everything changes – how you prioritise your time.”
The decision to sign a semi-professional contract was a hard one.
Davies, who joined Wrexham last season after her former Liverpool academy manager Steve Dale reached out, found support from the club and her friends and family.
The support has paid off. Davies helped the club to top-flight promotion, clearing off the line in the last minute of the play-off final victory against Briton Ferry.
The intervention was fitting. Davies, with Rebecca Pritchard (who scored the winning goal) and keeper Del Morgan, are the only survivors from the Wrexham Ladies team that was forced to fold six years ago.
“I get asked a lot about the differences between then and now,” Davies added. “But it’s two different lives.
“Then, we were distant from the club, not just inside, but outside. I was 19 and it felt like a hobby with friends on a Sunday.”
Now, Wrexham have weekly analysis sessions, training three times a week and full access to facilities.
They consistently attract crowds of more than 500, players are recognised in public and games are streamed to thousands globally.
‘When you have a child, everything changes – how you prioritise’