Happy birthday to North Wales treasure Shannon Hobbs!

One word could sum up Shannon Hobbs’ football career to date – success.

Born on March 19, 1999, Shannon is just 24 today, but seems to have been around for a long, long time.

That is mainly because she has been achieving great things in the game from a young age.

Shannon has had a great 2022-23 season for a Connah’s Quay Nomads side set to finish runners-up in the tier 2 Genero Adran North.

Next weekend the team will be part of a Welsh league record attendance event, when Nomads travel to the Racecourse to take on champions Wrexham AFC Women.

Shannon began playing football around the age of 10 and her first team was the successful boys’ side Flint Juniors.

In 2014, a 15-year-old Shannon earned selection for the Wales Under-17 side, being named in a 17-strong squad for a development tournament in Lithuania, which also featured Latvia and Ukraine.

She was later picked for the Wales U-17 party which played two matches against Northern Ireland. Another personal highlight was playing in Spain with the U-16 Wales development squad.

By the 2014-15 domestic season, Shannon had plenty of experience under her belt and became a key player for Prestatyn Girls Under-16’s.

After winning the North Wales Girls U-16 League title, the team went on to lift the Welsh Cup, beating Coed Duon Dragons of Gwent 4-0 in the final at Latham Park, Newtown.

Shannon netted Prestatyn’s second goal.

The team completed a treble when they defeated Caernarfon 3-0 in the League Cup Final at Colwyn Bay.

Shannon stepped up to senior football the following season, playing for Rhyl in the Welsh Premier Women’s League before later joining Northop Hall, who ended up 2015/16 North Wales Women’s League champions.

In 2016, Shannon was selected for the Wales Under-19 squad and switched clubs to Prestatyn.

She remained there before joining the exciting new Connah’s Quay Nomads side for 2019-20.

Although the season was cut short because of Covid-19, Nomads made it to the last four of the Welsh Cup, and came runners-up in North Wales Division Two. Shannon netted five goals that term.

Hailing from Flint and a former pupil of the town’s St Richard Gwyn RC High School, Shannon’s strengths include her speed, strength and ball control. She is capable of accurate long passes as well as pinpoint corners and on target shots.

Shannon has been outstanding for the past two seasons for a Nomads side which has excelled in the tier 2 Genero Adran North.

In 2021-22, she netted 17 goals and won the NEWFA Challenge Cup with the Deesiders. This season, she has found the net nine times.

Happy birthday Shannon – you are one of our finest!