Whether people want to accept it or not, money has always been a crucial part of any team’s success in football, no matter the time in history.
This applies to any level you may find yourself, whether it’s in the English Premier League, where teams are smashing record transfer deals regularly, or in non-league football, where teams are paying over-the-odds wages to attract some of the best free agents and talents from leagues above.
The same applies to Welsh football. TNS were able to smash their transfer record this summer after competing in the Conference League Phase, which meant they had the finances to make such a deal.
TNS’s success in the league over the last two decades has helped them build a monopoly in Wales, however, it hasn’t allowed them to compete in Europe regularly, as the finances aren’t comparable.
Last season, TNS took on Ferencvarosi in the Champions League, a team that made four transfers over £1 million during the 2024/25 summer window.
Looking back at the Welsh Premier League, teams will be hoping to compete with TNS in the new league system, and the teams will be looking for all financial possibilities to bridge the gap that currently exists.
For Connah’s Quay Nomads, this is an important consideration for the club, and so over the summer, they recruited a new Commercial Director.
Chris Redfern was appointed in that new position at the club back in June this year.
Mr Redfern grew up in Connah’s Quay and is a ‘massive’ fan of the Nomads. He’s been coaching the Nomads Women’s team for four years, and has also spent time at TNS, as well as some time in the English pyramid.
Mr Redfern began his career as a Commercial Director in many big companies around the UK, such as Jet2Holidays.
“It’s something the club saw as a positive thing to do and try to boost the club, not just the commercial side but also more in the community and Flintshire in general.”
With the season starting at the beginning of August, much of the work for the season has been completed in quick time to attract financial opportunities for the club.
“The early stages were about bringing in new partnership deals and new sponsors. We’ve just launched our home kit, and our away kit will be launched soon. We’ve been working on the clubhouse by adding new social rooms.”
The club are looking to reach as many different avenues and streams as possible, to continue to build up their relationship with their fanbase, as well as making new bridges between sponsors and new fans.
The club have put an emphasis on the Women’s team to raise their exposure. They won the Adran North division last season but missed out on promotion in a playoff game.
The women’s team have just completed their pre-season tour in London, where they debuted their own away kit against Crystal Palace.
Back in Flintshire, a lot of work has gone into working with the council during the last two months to put Nomads out in the community more often.
“We’ve been working closely with the council, putting on special schools and summer camps on our 3G, and we’ve been working with the council to go on pitches with our scholars and our coaching staff working with underprivileged children, getting them enjoying football.”
This is one of the key features of football in Wales, and particularly with Nomads. Working in the community helps the club grow attendance figures, while also putting the club out more frequently in their area.
In July, the club donated over 3000 season tickets to local schools to drive up the club’s attendance figures, but also to appeal to local children in the area to showcase what they have to offer.
This is just the start of several campaigns the club is looking to offer in the Flintshire community to build a relationship between the club and its people, and it is very much a key focus ahead of the change that is coming.
“We are working on things to try and engage that and try to make it a better environment for them. We still have a couple of things to improve.”
The club are currently looking to attract matchday sponsors, but they are only looking for deals with local industries and businesses.
The club are also launching a new sponsorship deal with the Bank of America, which makes them the first club outside America to be sponsored by them.
Well, what does that have to do with the community? Well, their head office is based in Chester, and they were looking for a team in that area to sponsor. Mr Redfern thought it made complete sense to strike a deal with them.
“We ticked a lot of their boxes, and they came to us, and they are looking to do things with the community as well, so we are looking at bringing the Bank of America to the Flintshire community.”
Mr Redfern also spoke on the club’s future plans, and the idea of hosting something at the end of the season the whole community can be involved with.
“At the end of the season, we are holding a fun day, where we will invite local businesses, and we’ll do a community spirit day. That’s the plan.
“It’s been a busy period to say the least. I’ve been sweating. There’s a lot going on, and we have a lot more future plans ahead of the league structure change.”
With the changes coming to the league ahead of the 2026/27 season, plans had been put in place by the club, as well as some fresh ideas by Mr Redfern.
Last season, the club struggled on the pitch, as they went on to finish 8th in the league; however, Mr Redfern believes that evolution at the club is already there to see.
“Everyone has a smile on their face, which is great to see. It’s great to see the players the first team have brought in, and we have a hybrid model, so we are pretty much full-time.”
The hybrid model, which has been implemented, is highly beneficial for the club. Due to the limited finances in the league, there is a mix between Professional and Semi-Professional clubs in the division.
In a season where avoiding any relegation battle would be highly beneficial due to the new system being introduced, this is great news for Nomads.
However, there are still some cracks that need to be filled.
“We’ll just try and fill in them little gaps and invest wisely in areas we need to do so.”
The club have added a bunch of players to their squad this summer to help compete. Some have been introduced from their academy under their scholarship system. Others have come from Cymru North and South clubs, while a handful have come from the lower leagues in England.
A lot of teams in Wales are now directing their focus to their commercial branding. This priority will allow clubs the opportunity to potentially ‘catch up’, but with the upcoming regulation changes, there is a higher emphasis on building on that portfolio.
Mr Redfern says there is one particular club in the league that does this at a great level.
“I’ve got to hold my hands up to Haverfordwest, they are a fantastic role model on this side of things. I’ve met the team there and we try to share practices to see what we both do, but they are a fantastic football club that are pioneering something new.”
Just like Nomads, Haverfordwest are building a relationship within their community. They have delivered over 100 sessions for school children, set up football summer camps and have introduced a Walking Football Team.
The club have also set up a scheme, allowing school kids in the area to design their new warm-up shirt ahead of the season, in line with their new shirt sponsorship deal.
Mr Redfern is hoping that the new league system can open up pathways that Welsh football clubs haven’t been able to tap into before.
“There is going to be more aspects to it and hopefully better commercial deals and better visibility of it, whether that’s through TV or socials.
“I think the change is needed to bring benefits from a commercial perspective.”
So, what else is the club looking to achieve this season to help their finances heading into this unknown terrain?
Well, it seems the club has two aims aside from the community aspect to help the club succeed down the line. One of them is the ability of their academy and women’s side.
“It’s also important to focus on our academy and our women’s team, so they are getting the best kits, they are getting the best equipment possible.”
A lot of clubs, particularly in the Flintshire area, have an interest in their academy and women’s teams. Flint, Airbus and Nomads are all successful at delivering on these fronts.
The other is the financial benefits that come with reaching the European football qualifying rounds. Even if a club like Nomads reach the first round of a Conference League tie and they get knocked out, the financial gains are substantial for the club, and with that comes new potential commercial streams.
“It ties in with everything we are trying to achieve. It has that pull of being in a European competition, and what TNS were able to do last year was able to put Welsh football back on the map.
“It piggybacks on why the change of the league is coming, as it’s similar to the success of TNS, and they want to see more Welsh teams in European football.”
Teams from Great Britain and Ireland have regularly qualified for the European Group stages, apart from those from Northern Ireland and Wales. The restructure of European football, alongside the birth of Conference League football, has opened up new possibilities.
TNS were unable to follow that feat of qualifying for the Conference League in 2025/26, as they failed to win a single European round, but the effects of last season’s triumph are still there to see from a financial and exposure standpoint.
So, what is the most exciting aspect of the new changes? Is it the enhanced competition in the league, the possibility for more clubs to challenge for those European spots, or simply for the club to be in a more financially secure position?
Well, Mr Redfern has a different opinion.
“The thing I’m most excited about is seeing more fans in the stadium, which is a big goal for us.”
Every single home game this season will be dedicated to different groups. Plans have been made with the Nomads girls’ academy for their presentation to take place at the opening game of the season.
There have also been talks with local emergency services and schools to host them at games, bringing their families in to watch the game.
Mr Redfern states this is a key piece to the Nomads puzzle.
“This is all about bringing Nomads back to the Connah’s Quay community.”
Nomads will be hoping for an improvement on the pitch this campaign, but behind the scenes, things seem like they are better than ever.
There are plenty of aims and goals the club are striving towards, and the new system is coming around at the best time to achieve that, with one central aim being key to this club’s future.
Community.
Featured Image Taken By Daniel Moffat
Daniel Moffat 
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