Cymru stars reflect on equal pay deal

Cymru midfield dynamos Sophie Ingle and Angharad James have applauded the FAW’s announcement of equal pay.

Last month it was announced that the men’s side agreed to a 25% pay cut, to enable a 25% rise for the women’s team.

Captain Ingle has said that, while it has been a long process, that it was a great stride forward for the association.

“It’s a massive to step for our organisation. It shows what both the players and the organisation want is equal, we get the same training facilities as the men, same hotels, same travel etc.”

“We have had that for a while now to be fair, the organisation has really pushed that for us. We couldn’t ask for any more I think, we’re making huge strides in Wales.”

Her midfield partner James was also keen to highlight that money was not the main issue concerning the reason for the pay rise.

“It’s not just about equal pay, people think it’s just the money side of things but it’s the facilities, access to staff, the number of staff we have on camps now is very different to what we had four or five years ago.

“So, we’ve taken big strides and together we created change which was important.”

Also, in the time since the last camp, Ingle was awarded an OBE in the New Year, an honour that certainly came as a shock to the Chelsea player.

“It was a shock. I got an email at the end of November to say my name had been put forward and then I had to reply saying if I wanted to accept it and got a letter not long after saying I’d be going to Windsor to receive it.

“That will be a nice day for me and family, and every time you see me after I get it you have to bow before me!”

On the pitch, the squad are preparing for the Pinatar Cup. They will be coming up against the Philippines, Iceland and Scotland, but James and the squad have their eyes on the prize.

“We want to win the Cup first and foremost. Which would be nice but it’s about building from the last campaign and moving forward this year.

“We’ll see changes: different formations being used and it’s a chance to start fresh, build on what we’ve got and making sure we make those tweaks to be better next time and what an opportunity to do that against three teams in the Pinatar Cup.”

First up for Cymru will be a fixture against the Philippines on Wednesday night.

It will be the first time ever that the two nations have come up against each other, and there is a sense of anticipation and excitement ahead of the game.

“We’re used to playing European clubs,” James began. “To play against a side like them which will be a great experience. We’ve watched clips on them and technically they’re very good.”

“We’ve never played them before so it’s a kind of game where you don’t know too much about them,” Ingle added.

“It will be exciting, it’ll be different, but we have to focus on ourselves as well and try to play the game, depending on what they give us.”

Wales kick off their Pinatar Cup campaign against the Philippines on Wednesday night (15/2), with kick off at 19:30. You can follow the game on BBC iPlayer.