CARDIFF: Craig Bellamy has appointed Andrew Crofts and James Rowberry to his coaching staff as he
prepares to manage Wales for the first time against Turkey in the UEFA Nations League on September 6.

Bellamy said: “I’m very happy with the group of staff that we’ve been able to bring in. I’ve worked with all of them previously, either as a coach or as a player. As a collective I believe the balance and various expertise between us is the best we could have asked for.

“The work off camp has been great so far and I can’t wait for us to meet up with the players and get things started with them.”

Crofts was capped 29 times for Cymru under John Toshack, Gary Speed and Chris Coleman and completed his UEFA coaching badges through the FAW Coach Education system. Crofts retired from playing in 2019, becoming a coach in Brighton academy before stepping up as U23s head coach in 2021.
In 2022,

He was appointed first team coach under Roberto De Zerbi with Brighton securing European football for the first time in the club’s history, reaching the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League last season, and has recently been appointed assistant head coach at the club.

Crofts said: “I’m very proud. As soon as I knew there was an opportunity to be Craig’s assistant it grabbed me straight away. To represent Wales as a player was incredible for me and my family, and to now represent my country as an assistant coach is an indescribable feeling. I’m obsessed with coaching, studying various trends in the game and bringing a team’s methodology to life, something which I can’t wait to do with this group of players and staff.”

Rowberry started coaching at the age of 21 and became one of the youngest people to complete his UEFA Pro Licence at the age of 29.

He worked at Cardiff City for eight years, initially in the academy setup before becoming a first team coach under several managers including Neil Warnock.

After a period as head coach of his hometown Newport County, Rowberry was appointed as the FAW’s head of elite coach education in February 2023, combining the role with coaching in the Cymru age group setup.

Rowberry said: “Being involved with our National Team is something I’ve always wanted to do and to represent my country. I’ve known Craig for a long time, and we share the same ideas on football. Being the link to the player pathway will be a key part of my role and my previous work in that area will allow me to be the natural link as we look to showcase our young talent on the world stage.”

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