Annabel Stokes | I want to make an impact at the next level

Swansea City Women forward Annabel Stokes is eager to make her mark in the Genero Adran Premier following her move from Pure Swansea.

The 20-year-old joins from Pure Swansea following an impressive 2025-26 campaign which saw her score 25 goals across all competitions and earn a place in the Genero Adran South Team of the Season.

Stokes has been with Yzzy Taylor's squad since the beginning of pre-season and has enjoyed settling into her new surroundings ahead of the start of the league campaign.

“I am incredibly pleased. It’s been a really exciting time here so far and I was keen to push myself as much as I could and take on a tough challenge with the step up," she said.

“It’s been a much more intense environment than I’m used to, and coming in at the beginning of pre-season was tough, but the players and coaching staff have been great and it’s definitely getting easier as the days go on.

“Working with (Swansea assistant head coach) Dan [Sheehan] was a big part of joining. To know I have his support and confidence has made it a much smoother transition for me. I’ve played with Eilish (Mitchell) as well, who is a great player and a great friend, and she’s been great to have alongside me.

“Everyone else has been amazing too. Yzzy has been great and shown a lot of confidence in me, while getting to know the girls both on and off the pitch has been brilliant. Everyone has been really supportive.

Stokes believes her previous experiences have played an important role in preparing her for the step up to the Adran Premier, having spent four years within the Crystal Palace academy before enjoying that impressive spell with Pure Swansea.

“My time at Crystal Palace was incredibly important, especially as a young player as I had only been playing football for a couple of years before that," she said.

“To then come into the setup they had and play alongside some great players was really good for my development, and I still use what I learnt there in my football today.

“Last year was really positive for me. The Adran South is a competitive league, so to do as well as I did really gave me the confidence and belief that I could make the step up to the higher level.

"Having established herself as a prolific goal scorer in the Adran South, Stokes is now looking forward to showing what she can offer Taylor's attacking options this season.

“I like to hold the ball up and bring other players into the game, but I also feel I can create chances well and find myself in the right place at the right time with my positioning in the final third," she added.

“I think I can bring different aspects to the attack in this team. There are plenty of different combinations in the forward line and the players have been great in pushing me. We have some great attacking players who I will continue to learn from throughout the season.

“Personally, I want to help the team continue to score goals, whether that’s me creating them or scoring them. We have a lot of quality in this team and hopefully we can turn that into silverware this season.”