Wolves forward Amber Hughes gives wolves.co.uk a glimpse into her football and personal life as part of the women's first-team group in the latest On and Off the Pitch.
- Position: Forward
- Joined Wolves: 2021
- Profession: SEN teacher
ON THE PITCH
Journey to Wolves
My older brother played football and then my older sister went into football which is what made me start. I played at Leafield from the age of eight and then carried it on. I then joined Nottingham Forest when I was at Loughborough University before joining Coventry United.
Joining the club
Coventry were going full time and that wasn’t really an option for me in terms of finances and being a teacher. I wasn’t able to take up that opportunity and then it was just a case of wanting to be at a local club, but also a club that was ambitious. Wolves stuck out when I spoke to Macca [Dan McNamara] and Marcus [Webber]. They seemed as if they had ambition and I wanted to go to a club like that. I saw Compton and the facilities, and after that, it was a no-brainer.
Biggest influence
My dad, my brothers and my sister were all influences. We were just a football family! My older brother went into it straight away and then my sister and I were keen at the same time. We grew up playing and supporting Birmingham City. It’s always been a part of our family and I could have chosen not to go down the football route, but as soon as I got that buzz for it, that was it.
Being a Wolves player
It’s great! You don’t get the level of facilities at many Championship sides, never mind the Northern Prem, so that’s massive. It’s a great group of players, even from when I first came in. There are a few who have been here for a long time and you could tell that. The ethos of the club is that we work as a group, and that shows on and off the pitch.
OFF THE PITCH
Making a living
I’m a special needs teacher at an ASC school, so all the students have a diagnosis of autism. It’s challenging but the reward is massive. I love the job. The reward completely outdoes the challenges.
Balancing job and football
I like to think I’m quite organised. I plan my football sessions and my extra sessions I need to get in and look at my week to get it sorted in advance. As long as I know the time I’m dedicating to my work and the time I’m dedicating to my football, I feel like then I’m fine. I leave Saturdays as a day without work or football and have that as a day to see family and friends. If I say to Macca [Dan McNamara] that I’m struggling with getting some work done, then he’s really understanding.
Football conversations at work
Thankfully we’re winning some games, so I don’t mind people asking about the scores! A few of my colleagues know. When I scored a goal last season and Soccer AM tweeted it out, everyone saw that and one teacher said they’d seen it and wanted to come and watch a game, so it’s really nice. I’m quite open about it and some people do like to take an interest.
Hobbies and downtime
Saturdays and Friday nights are probably the only days I have free. I’ll always make time to see my family and I’ve got a couple of young nieces, one of which is really into football as well, so I always try and see them. I try and see my Nan and Grandad and my friends. Sometimes I have to choose what I want to do but it’s about balancing and also having some time to myself with my partner. I don’t want to make it too busy as come Sunday it’s back to it.
What does being a female footballer mean to you?
The game is evolving and it’s getting bigger and better. We’re now having more people asking about it and being interested and we never used to get that at all. I think people are more interested in it as they know it’s getting bigger. I think there are a lot more opportunities for young girls to get into the full time and professional game earlier on. It’s great that that’s coming out now and hopefully, that’ll carry on and help those girls coming through. It’s nice to walk round and have the tracksuit and have people ask about it and care.
