![]() Hughes playing for Charlton Athletic in October 2021 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Elise Anna Hughes | ||
Date of birth | 15 April 2001 | ||
Place of birth | Hawarden, Wales | ||
Position(s) | Forward | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Crystal Palace | ||
Number | 9 | ||
Youth career | |||
Northop Hall Girls F.C. | |||
Everton | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2017–2021 | Everton | 22 | (0) |
2020 | → Bristol City (loan) | 3 | (0) |
2020–2021 | → Blackburn Rovers (loan) | 19 | (5) |
2021–2022 | Charlton Athletic | 19 | (5) |
2022– | Crystal Palace | 48 | (22) |
International career‡ | |||
Wales U16 | |||
2017–2018 | Wales U17 | 8 | (3) |
2018 | Wales U19 | 4 | (1) |
2019– | Wales | 31 | (3) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 29 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 3 June 2025 |
Elise Anna Hughes (born 15 April 2001) is a Welsh footballer who plays as a forward for Women's Super League club Crystal Palace and the Welsh national team.
Hughes was born in Hawarden, Flintshire. [1] Her grandfather David and father Peter were both footballers. [1] The family supports Everton. [1]
Hughes came through Everton's Regional Talent Centre. [1] In February 2018, Hughes made her first team debut for Everton in a 1–0 loss against Arsenal at 16 years old. [1] Hughes scored her first professional goal in a derby win against Liverpool during the group stage of the FA WSL Cup. [2]
On 4 January 2020, Hughes joined Bristol City on loan for the rest of the season. [3] However, Hughes returned to Everton on 30 January to rehabilitate after suffering an ACL injury. [4]
In 2023-24, Hughes scored 16 goals in 21 games for Crystal Palace, winning the Championship Golden Boot as Palace won promotion to the WSL, [5] however she suffered another ACL injury playing against Lewes in the penultimate game of the season. [6]
Elise is a UEFA Licence Holder and is involved in coaching her local club, Connah's Quay Nomads. [7]
Hughes has made appearances for the Wales women's national football team at the under-16 and under-17 levels. [1] She has been called up several times to the senior team, and made her senior debut 5 March 2018 in the Cyprus Cup against Switzerland. [8] [9] Elise now has 31 caps from Cymru and has scored 3 goals, the first of which was scored against Iceland in 2023 in the UEFA Women's Nations League. She suffered from an ACL which meant she was unable to play for many of the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifiers. [10]
In June 2025, Hughes was named in Wales' squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2025. [11]
Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Everton | 2017–18 | Women's Super League | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
2018–19 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 1 | ||
2019–20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 1 | ||
2020–21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Total | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 28 | 2 | ||
Bristol City (loan) | 2019–20 | Women's Super League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Blackburn Rovers (loan) | 2020–21 | Women's Championship | 19 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 7 |
Charlton Athletic | 2021–22 | 19 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 24 | 7 | |
Crystal Palace | 2022–23 | 21 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 25 | 6 | |
2023–24 | 21 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 26 | 20 | ||
2024-25 | Women's Super League | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
Total | 48 | 22 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 59 | 26 | ||
Career total | 111 | 32 | 10 | 2 | 16 | 8 | 137 | 42 |
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Wales | 2018 | 3 | 0 |
2019 | 6 | 0 | |
2020 | 1 | 0 | |
2021 | 1 | 0 | |
2022 | 3 | 0 | |
2023 | 8 | 1 | |
2024 | 3 | 2 | |
2025 | 5 | 0 | |
Total | 31 | 3 |
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 December 2023 | Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales | ![]() | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2023–24 UEFA Women's Nations League |
2 | 8 April 2024 | Zahir Pajaziti Stadium, Podujeva, Kosovo | ![]() | 5–0 | 6–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifying |
3 | 6–0 |