Rowberry leaves Wales staff to focus on Stoke role

Head coach Craig Bellamy has lost another member of his Wales backroom staff after James Rowberry decided to leave to concentrate on his role as Stoke City assistant manager.

Rowberry informed the Football Association of Wales (FAW) earlier this summer of his decision to end his part-time role.

The 41-year-old had been combining both coaching positions since joining Stoke, where he is one of two assistants to boss Mark Robins, in January 2025.

Rowberry's decision coincided with the loss of Bellamy's number two, Piet Cremers, at the beginning of July, though news of his exit has only just emerged.

Cremers, one of Bellamy's first appointments in 2024 after he took charge of Wales, stepped away to become the new head coach of Club NXT, Club Brugge's youth academy who play in the Belgian second tier.

It is understood the FAW is close to filling the gap left by the departures of Cremers and Rowberry, though it remains unclear if one or two new faces will be added to the backroom team.

Wales begin their Group A Nations League campaign with a tough opening match away to Portugal on 24 September. They travel to Denmark three days later.

In the build-up to those games, Bellamy will answer questions from the media for the first time since his proposed move to become Burnley boss fell through in June after he was unable to take his backroom staff to Turf Moor.