Alumna Rosie Eccles Proud to See Team Wales Kit Come to Life

Cardiff Met alumna Rosie Eccles says seeing the Team Wales kit come to life has made the build-up to Glasgow 2026 even more special, after playing a small role in the development process through the Team Wales Athletes’ Commission.

The Welsh boxer, who studied at Cardiff Met between 2014 and 2019, graduating with a First Class BSc in Sports Studies before completing a Master’s degree in Sport Psychology with Distinction, was among the athletes attending Team Wales Kitting Out at the ICC in Newport.

For Eccles, the day was not only about receiving the kit she will wear at her third Commonwealth Games, but also seeing the ideas, designs and conversations behind it become reality.

“I was fortunate to have a little part to play in the kit development on the Athlete Commission and to sit on some of the decisions, so to see it come to life as well is really special,” said Eccles.

A key part of that story is the Cardiff Met connection. The dragon design featured on the Team Wales kit was created by Cardiff Met student Jake Rowley, with Eccles having seen first-hand the quality of work produced during the design process.

“Jake, who actually did the design of the dragon, I think how that’s been put in is really, really cool,” she said. “To have Cymru on our kit as well, which often hasn’t had such a feature before, the colours, I just think it feels very wow. It’s what you want. It fits nice.”

Eccles also spoke warmly about the impact the kit has had on the athletes collecting it for the first time. For her, a strong kit should give competitors a sense of pride,

confidence and identity before they step onto the Commonwealth Games stage.

“Seeing some of the team members walking around, they look like 10 feet tall,” she said. “That’s what kit should do. It’s so nice watching some of the guys getting their first Games kit and seeing what that does. I was just so looking forward to that myself as well.”

The Cardiff Met link made that process even more meaningful. Eccles said she enjoyed visiting the University’s design spaces and seeing the students’ ideas develop, with the final decision coming after a close and competitive process.

“Cardiff have been great,” she said. “I sat in on a lot of the meetings up there, and obviously I was part of the sport campus, so to go over to the design section and see those guys work was amazing.

“We had amazing pitches come in, and it was actually really close between Jake and someone else. But just seeing his drawings, his passion for design and his commitment, such a lovely, unassuming lad as well, I thought he worked so hard and he deserved it.”

As Eccles prepares for Glasgow, the moment carries extra significance. Having already represented Wales at previous Commonwealth Games, she admitted the speed of another cycle has taken her by surprise.

“I can’t believe it’s four years since the last one,” she said. “I can’t believe it’s eight years since my first one. It feels like I was here being interviewed with my kit on for the last Games like yesterday. It’s very, very surreal, but it’s such a special day and such a special time.

“To think that we’re going into my third Games, it’s surreal. I think I’ve blinked and got old, to be honest.”

For Cardiff Met, Eccles’ story brings together everything the University is contributing to Team Wales this summer: elite athletes, alumni, student creativity and behind-the-scenes expertise. As she prepares for another Commonwealth Games chapter, her pride in both Wales and Cardiff Met is clear.