Mark Hughes is mourning the unexpected death of his son Alex Hughes, who was 38 years old and worked as the player recruitment lead at Grimsby Town.
The League Managers Association (LMA) has released a statement on behalf of the family of Alex Hughes, who has passed away at the age of 38. The statement reflects the family's deep sorrow, noting, "Alex was a wonderful son, brother to Curtis and Xenna, devoted husband and father to Jessica and their two beautiful children, Sebastian and Leonardo. He will be so deeply missed by us all."
Alex Hughes held the position of player recruitment lead at Grimsby Town, a club competing in League Two, after joining from Morecambe in the National League last summer. His career in football included roles in recruitment, performance analysis, and football strategy at several clubs, such as Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City, Fulham, Reading, 1860 Munich, and AFC Fylde.
Upon announcing Hughes' appointment as the Mariners' recruitment chief last July, Grimsby Town's first team manager, David Artell, praised him, stating, "[Hughes'] experience and knowledge in player negotiations along with his background and pedigree from his previous clubs really made him an outstanding choice. I’m excited to work with him as we look to continue to develop our recruitment process and improve the talent on the pitch."
During the 2025-26 season, Grimsby Town finished seventh in League Two but were eliminated by Salford City in the semi-finals of the promotion playoffs.
Mark Hughes, the father of Alex Hughes, recently left his position as manager of Carlisle United in May after a tenure of 16 months. During his time there, he guided the team through their first season back in the National League, following efforts to prevent a second consecutive relegation.
Hughes began his managerial career with the Welsh national team in 1999 and has since managed several clubs, including Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City, Fulham, Queens Park Rangers, Stoke City, Southampton, and Bradford City.
As a player, Mark Hughes, affectionately known as 'Sparky,' was a celebrated centre-forward. He had a distinguished playing career that included stints at Manchester United, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich during the 1980s. He rejoined Manchester United in 1988 and played over 250 matches in the top flight before concluding his playing career with Chelsea, Southampton, Everton, and Blackburn.
