Jess Fishlock encouraged by improvements to professionalise Wales camps
Jessica Fishlock of Wales in action Wales v Denmark International Women's Friendly at the Cardiff City Stadium on the 13th April 2021. Lewis Mitchell/YCPD
Wales all-time record appearance maker Jess Fishlock believes that Wales are in the best position to qualify for a major tournament.
Over the past three qualification campaigns Wales have gotten increasingly closer to reaching a the finals of a tournament for the first time.
Fishlock has revealed that improvements behind the scenes by the FAW have led to a more ‘elite’ level feeling amongst the Welsh squad.
“Our appetite (to qualify) is huge. It always has been. I definitely think there’s been a shift since Gemma (Grainger) has come in.
“There’s a lot more stuff going on for us as a group and as an organisation in the background. We’re really making huge strides everywhere to make sure that we have everything that we need to qualify.
“Everybody’s mentality has gone up a little notch since the last campaign and we are a little bit more determined this time to make it happen.”
Consistent training camps at the Vale Resort have allowed the players to feel more comfortable when on international duty.
“Every time we come into the this set up it feels more and more like home. The more it feels like home for us the better we are going to train and perform,” Jess Fishlock added.
“The FAW have also added staff that have made sure we have a lot more focus on the needs for us as a group. The little details like that, which we asked for, the FAW have been super supportive with.
“All those little details are what make a big difference. When we come on camp, we feel more professional. We feel more supported. We feel like the elite group that we should be in order to qualify.”
Grainger’s side begin qualification for the 2023 World Cup at home against Kazakhstan on 17 September.
To date, Wales have never qualified for a major women’s international tournament. They’ll be hoping to change that history by earning a spot in Australia and New Zealand.
They face Scotland in a friendly at Parc y Scarlets on 15 June as they finalise their preparations of the qualification campaign.
