The Football Association of Wales (FAW) have unveiled a new six year strategy that aims to make Wales a leading football nation.
‘Our Wales’ aims to increase player participation, improve facilities across the board and bring increased success on the field by 2026.
Growing the women’s game in the country is a key focus area of the FAW’s plans as they hope to double the size of the women and girl’s game.
FAW CEO Noel Mooney said: “There’s so much support in Wales for football, and now is the moment to align our resources to become one of the world’s great footballing nations.
“We are striving for excellence both on and off the field, where Welsh football and the FAW are synonymous with high-performance.
“We have identified six strategic pillars and we will deliver these with our partners to create a happier, healthier and successful Wales.
“Despite the great love for football in Wales, it is clearly not reflected in our grassroots facilities, which need to be improved, and the FAW, along with our partners, will need to demonstrate leadership and courage to reach the standards we require.”
Mooney said his time in Wales has cemented his belief that it is truly a football nation, but that greater investment in infrastructure is needed to reflect the strength of support.
In order to achieve their goal of doubling the size of the women and girls’ game, the FAW hope to address the gender participation imbalance at grassroots level.
In 2020 the FAW Trust reported that a record number of 8,600 women and girls were signed up to football clubs in Wales.
Domestic women’s football in Wales recently went through a restructuring process, leading to the creation of the Adran League.
A statement on their website reads: “By ensuring every girl has the opportunity to be involved in football, the FAW look forward to working with partners across Wales to guarantee the female game has the platform to reach its potential.”
Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden, also added: “Promoting equal access to sport and supporting young athletes mirrors the Welsh Government’s priorities and that’s why I’m so proud to endorse this strategy.
“Now we can again enjoy more participation in sporting activities, and as we begin looking beyond the pandemic, removing any socio-economic and equality barriers to sport is certainly something we must keep working hard to address.
“I wish the FAW and both our women’s and men’s national teams continued success and wish them good luck with their current qualifying campaigns.”
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