Chloe Ankers on Wrexham and New Opportunities
7/20/202642 min
From making her senior debut for Wrexham at just 16 years old to beginning a new chapter as a player-coach, Chloe Ankers is building one of the most fascinating young careers in Welsh women’s football.
On Episode 4 of The Beautiful Game: Unfiltered, Chris Horwedel sits down with the new Wrexham Foresters goalkeeper and coach for an in-depth conversation about her football journey, the evolution of Wrexham AFC Women and her ambitions on both sides of the touchline.
Chloe reflects on her memorable Wrexham debut against Cardiff Met, where she kept a clean sheet in a historic 3–0 victory, and discusses the patience required to develop behind experienced goalkeepers. She also takes listeners inside Wrexham’s run to the 2025 Hong Kong Soccer Sevens final, where she recorded four clean sheets and was named the Women’s Player of the Tournament.
The conversation explores how goalkeeping is changing, including the importance of playing with the ball at your feet, aggressive sweeping, positioning and decision-making. Chloe also explains why she became interested in coaching at such a young age, the influence of Del Morgan and whether her long-term future lies in goalkeeper coaching, broader first-team coaching or continuing to combine both roles.
Chris and Chloe also discuss her decision to temporarily step away from playing, what brought her back, and why the opportunity to join newly promoted Wrexham Foresters as a player-coach was the right next step.
Plus, Chloe shares her perspective on the growth of the Adran Premier, Wrexham’s ambition to become fully professional, the importance of The Rock as a permanent home for Wrexham AFC Women and the challenges players face while balancing football with university, work and life away from the pitch.
How far can Chloe Ankers go as a player and coach—and what could the future hold for Welsh women’s football?
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
[upbeat music] Not the polished spin, not the safe reply. We go where the cameras don't always fly. Past the tunnel talk, past the final score. Open every door, then we open more. Not just headlines, not just noise. Bring the real ones in, let them raise their voice. The beautiful game. Unfiltered. The beautiful game. Unfiltered. No club too big, no story too small. If it matters to football, we want it all. Oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh, oh.
Chris Horwedel· Host0:44
Hey, everybody. I'm Chris Horbondel. Welcome back to the show. My guest today might be young, but she's already experienced football on several different sides. She made her senior debut for Wrexham at just 16 years old and kept a clean sheet in a historic win over Cardiff Met. She helped Wrexham reach the final of the Hong Kong Soccer Sevens and was named the Women's Player of the Tournament. She also began building a career in coaching through the Wrexham AFC Foundation and Kensal FC Women. After initially deciding to step away from playing a little bit earlier this year to focus on coaching, she now found an opportunity that allows her to do both, joining the newly promoted Wrexham Foresters as a player coach. Wrexham Foresters goalkeeper and coach,