Cross retires from football after two decades in Old Gold

Wolves Women manager Dan McNamara has paid tribute to Emma Cross after the defender’s decision to retire from football following more than 20 years wearing gold and black.

Having initially joined the club as a nine-year-old, alongside her twin sister Jade, Cross progressed all the way through the ranks at Wolves to become an important part of the first-team defence.

During her time at Wolves, Cross has had a remarkable influence on and off the pitch. The defender was named Player of the Year at the end of the 2018/19 season – McNamara’s first full campaign in charge of the side – and went on to play a big part in recent successes for the women’s first-team.

Alongside her footballing career the 29-year-old holds a first-class degree in business and accounting, and although her impact on the pitch in gold and black has lessened over recent seasons, her four outings during the 2024/25 season saw the centre-back surpass an incredible 250 appearances in Old Gold.

Commenting on the Cross’ decision to step away from football, McNamara said: “Emma and her sister are both legends here at Wolves, and nobody would argue with that.

“It was a very sad moment when I got her message, so I quickly called her back and I think she could hear the upset within my voice, because Emma and Jade have both been here since the start for me. She was one of the first faces I saw when I first walked into the football club, and she’s stuck by me through thick and thin, the good times and the bad times.

“Although she’s had a difficult couple of seasons and probably hasn’t had the game time that she wanted, that’s not down to her ability, it’s down to the ability of the players that are now playing at the football club.

“There was a two to three-year period where she was first name on the team sheet for me and she very rarely missed out on minutes. I can remember one game down at TNS where both Emma and Jade were rested and that backfired on me – we got beat that evening and I think they had a cheeky smile on the way out.

“But I just hope she can now look back on her career with some of the winner’s medals that we’ve accrued along the way and she can be very proud of being part of the history of Wolves. She’ll certainly go down as a legend.”

A passionate and committed player throughout her Wolves career, as well as being an outstanding role model to new signings and younger members of the club, Cross will leave a lasting legacy in the women’s and girls’ section.

“There’s been so many memories and unbelievable moments that we’ve shared together as she’s been a huge part of my time here,” McNamara added.

“Even when she wasn’t playing as much as she’d have liked, she was always showing the new girls what the standards are here and showing them what it means to represent this football club. She’s done that expertly well over the last few years and I really do hope she’s taken some cherished memories from her Wolves career.

“I don’t think she’ll be a stranger as Jade is going to stay within the group and I can already picture Emma in the stands giving her sister grief, but hopefully they won’t be arguing like they do on the pitch!

“It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with Emma over the last eight years, and I wish her nothing but the best.”

#WolvesWomen