Ken Charles: Swapping Non-League for Champions League

Ken Charles: Swapping Non-League for Champions League

An answer given by most young footballers to the cliche question of "what are your dreams and aspirations" usually includes mentions of playing for their country or making it to the pinnacle of club football, the Champions League.

Being sat in front of a television and hearing that iconic Champions League theme tune for the first time as Europe's champions and football's elite take the stage, which triggers dreams of one day getting to play at the apex of the world's most adored sport, is a defining memory for many a player and fan the world over.

Well, for 25-year-old Ken Charles, those dreams turned into a reality over the summer, as the striker completed a transfer to the champions of Wales, The New Saints, a club no stranger to playing in UEFA's top club competitions.

Three new players arrive at The New Saints ✍️@tnsfc have signed three new players including Haverfordwest County’s Jacob Owen. Jack Nadin and Ken Charles have also joined from Nottingham Forest and St Albans City 🟢⚪️.

📸 @ashleycrowden pic.twitter.com/8KEZm4QeDR

— Y Clwb Pêl-Droed (@YClwbPelDroed) June 10, 2025

Charles kindly gave up some of his time to talk to Football Park about how the big move materialised, getting to play in the Champions League and Europa Conference League and his goals for the remainder of the season.

"The Welsh top division and English Non-League are pretty separate," said Charles.

"It's not like you hear of many Non-League players transferring to a Welsh club and vice versa, but football is a well-connected sport and managers have increasingly growing networks with scouts and agents, so it is always possible to get a move to a different league.

"This wasn't the first summer I was aware of interest from TNS; they were aware of me at least a season ago, and they have been keeping tabs on me.

"This summer, the manager got directly in contact with me as I was weighing up my options in England, and it turned out to be the best opportunity for me personally to progress my career."

Cymru Premier: Unfamiliar Territory

Charles joined the Welsh champions from Hertfordshire outfit St Albans City, who plied their trade in the National League South last season, the second tier of English Non-League (also known as "Step Two").

Although still not too far from home, the Welsh giants remained somewhat of a mystery for Charles, although European experience and the known stature and dominance of TNS were enough to force a decision:

"The first thing I needed to do was familiarise myself with TNS, the league and the level of the division.

"Compared to moving sideways to another National League South club at the same level, it required a lot more thought and work. Although the prospect was clear from the manager, and of course European experience is a huge pull.

"But TNS is a big club with a big reputation, especially with what they have done in European competitions recently and how dominant they are in Wales. Overall, I thought it was a great opportunity for me to put my name on a different map and to experience something different to the last few seasons."

European Dreams: An Abundance of Pride

Charles then spoke about the feeling of getting to play in the Champions League, with possibilities endless prior to their fixtures against Macedonian champions KF Shkëndija:

"There was a lot of pride, from a young age every kid dreams of firstly making it as a professional, but then also playing in the Champions League and all of these big European competitions that everyone watches on TV.

"Participating in even just a qualifying round is something that not many players can say that they've done, so there was an immense sense of pride," Ken added.

UEFA Champions League football is back!

It’s 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 vs 🇲🇰, as The New Saints take on KF Shkëndija in the first qualifying round.

🎟 A limited number of tickets remain on sale and can be purchased at: https://t.co/0GcYt0NOrB#UCL pic.twitter.com/Zotffgp4ZB

— The New Saints FC (@tnsfc) July 8, 2025

"Another emotion was just excitement - there are a lot more eyes on you and as a player you look at that and think if I can implement myself on a stage like this, then you never know what doors can open for you.

"Of course there were some nerves, but that was not the overriding feeling, it was a lot more pride and excitement for the opportunity."

After Charles' adventure into the unknown of Welsh football, it was important to him to make sure that the level of football on offer helps pave a natural next step in improving his game and developing himself as both a person and a footballer.

The tenacious forward elaborated:

"I have only played against four teams so far, but I would say the opponents are of a similar level to National League South. There are probably bigger clubs in the National League South in terms of fanbases.

"But at the end of the day, that is the English Football pyramid, it is the best in the world.

"In terms of level, it is the best in Welsh football. Players from all over the United Kingdom are attracted to TNS to form a pathway in the sport and find their feet. There are decent players in all teams, although we are dominant as a club, it is not a case of turning up and winning, if we are not at 100%, we don't win. It is as simple as that."

Challenging Beginnings: Where From Here?

The opening of the 2025/26 campaign has been rocky for The Saints, failing to advance to the UEFA Conference League group stage, and a loss in their opening league fixture forced TNS into picking up points in their previous three games to gun for the retention of the Cymru Premier title.

Three new players arrive at The New Saints ✍️@tnsfc have signed three new players including Haverfordwest County’s Jacob Owen. Jack Nadin and Ken Charles have also joined from Nottingham Forest and St Albans City 🟢⚪️.

📸 @ashleycrowden pic.twitter.com/8KEZm4QeDR

— Y Clwb Pêl-Droed (@YClwbPelDroed) June 10, 2025

Charles opened up on the team's ambitions and what he is aiming to achieve personally this season:

"The aim is to always win the league and win the cups. Winning the league is what gives us the platform to compete on the European stage next season, so that is essential.

"I have high expectations of myself. I want to play as many games as I can and score as many goals as I can. I know what I can produce on my day, I'm not going to say exactly how many goals I have in mind but I have specific numbers in my head and hopefully come the end of the season I can say that I have achieved that."

Charles and TNS are sure to see European football again if the past four seasons are anything to go by, but in any league at any level, a considerable amount of work and effort needs to be put in to reap any eventual benefits.

Regardless of the disappointing outcome of The Saints' European escapades this season, it is undoubtedly an unforgettable and proud experience for Charles and his teammates.