The other club in Wrexham that welcomes the whole world

While the global spotlight on Wrexham football shines brightly on Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s Wrexham AFC, just a mile from the Racecourse Ground lies Bellevue Park - home to Bellevue FC, Wales’ first fully inclusive football club.

Founded with the mission of providing league football opportunities to those from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds, Bellevue FC is more than just a team - it’s a community. The club welcomes players from ethnic minority backgrounds, including refugees, asylum seekers, economic migrants, and international students. It also offers opportunities to local people facing barriers to participation, such as those with mental health challenges, learning difficulties, and minor disabilities.

In 2016, while the Welsh team was making waves at the 2016 Euros, Bellevue Park was facing a different battle – the pitch was under threat of being lost due to ‘lack of use’ with the absence of a league-registered team. But rather than let the space disappear, a group of passionate individuals saw an opportunity to create something special. Bellevue FC wasn’t just formed to save the pitch, it was built to provide a welcoming space for those who had long been excluded from the game.

At the heart of this movement is Delwyn Derrick, the club’s founder, secretary, former manager and larger-than-life driving force. Reflecting on Bellevue’s origins, he recalls:

“For a lot of refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants coming into Wrexham, this is the first community facility they find. We wanted somewhere where anyone from any background could meet people, play football and make friends. It just made sense to establish a football club here that was reflected what the park was already doing.

The club’s beginnings were humble.

“We were sat under a fir tree after playing football and found out there were plans to decommission the pitch. The community uses this space all the time - schoolkids, community groups, everyone. So we decided to bring a league club here. As someone who’d recently been made redundant I drew the short straw of setting that club up.

From those early days, Bellevue FC quickly became a hub for international friendships.

“Our first summer, we were playing on the field every other day and struck up a friendship with some German and French students who were also using the pitch. We played them every week. It was the first time that I saw the power that his club could have for community cohesion and social integration.”

With the Women’s European Championships taking place in Switzerland this year, and Cardiff set to host the Cymru vs Slovakia play-off semi-final, Bellevue FC is implementing changes to support the sustainability of women’s football.

The club’s strategy is to focus on encouraging younger girls’ teams to enter competitive tournaments. This goal is to help women’s football teams grow in numbers and skill, so that players reach higher levels of experience earlier in their football careers.

The club is also home Anne Marie-Withers, the first female coach of a men’s team in North Wales. A club member for the last three years, she is now working with programmes in Wales to recruit female football coaches. Collaborating with the FAW, she is helping women find jobs in the industry and encouraging them to excel - another example of Bellevue FC’s vital role in supporting the football community.

Bellevue FC has become a home for footballers from over 30 countries, spanning cultures and continents – from Scotland and Hungary to Iraq and Sudan.

Delwyn’s favourite community story centres on his good friend Thiago Ginja, originally from Portugal and the first Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic person to sit on the North East Wales FA’s council.

He explained: “We’ve played football together since before Bellevue existed and to see where he is now and be part of that journey has been incredible. He has such faith in what we’re doing at Bellevue that his brother and son also play for the club. It’s really special being a part of a family’s story.”

Bellevue FC also boasts a Wales international in its ranks - Jordan Wright, who has earned five caps for Wales’ Learning Disability Squad. He said: ”It was incredible going down to Cardiff to play and get those caps. Delwyn’s helped me a lot, if it wasn’t for someone like him I wouldn’t be here. The people here understand me and I get to play football.”

For Delwyn, Bellevue FC is more than just a football club—it’s a life-changing project.

“I like to refer to it as the happiest accident of my life. The club’s taken over it. Everyone says they have the best job in the world, but I get to run a football club full of the most incredible people. They each have their own personal story that makes them my hero in their own way. Everyday I get to wake up and work with them. I do have the best job in the world.”