Football has long disproven the notion that you can't win anything with kids—and it turns out that applies to managers too.
Llandudno, a north Wales club, is celebrating the end of an all-conquering campaign that will see them return to the top-flight Cymru Premier after a seven-year absence. At the helm is a manager younger than most of the players he selects: 24-year-old Jordan Hadaway, who has orchestrated the club's revival and sealed the Cymru North title in style. He is likely to become the youngest top-division boss in Europe next season, boasting a decade of coaching experience that includes a touch of Real Madrid mentoring.
"I don't think you could print some of the things that were said to me on social media when we appointed him," recalls Llandudno chairman Dave Guinn. "But there was a gut feeling. Jordan just had an aura about him, that he wasn't just talking the talk."
Hadaway's breakthrough came in 2023 under dire circumstances. Llandudno were unable to use their own ground, had seen their entire coaching staff walk out, and didn't have enough players to field a side with the season just weeks away. With the club's financial situation described as "dire," Hadaway was asked to step in with a meager £400 budget—the lowest in the league—just to assemble a squad.
"The pitch had been condemned and we were £100,000 short of paying for a new pitch," Hadaway explains. "There were no revenue streams, I was working unpaid... That's what makes staying up that year so special."
Despite the challenges, Llandudno lost only one game in the Cymru North this season, securing promotion and marking a remarkable turnaround for a club that once faced genuine fears over its future. Hadaway's journey from a youth team coach to a promotion-winning manager—with a Real Madrid connection in his background—highlights a new generation of football leadership defying traditional age barriers.