Nation.Cymru staff

The Football Association of Wales has called for greater financial support from the Welsh Government and councils to improve pitches and help bring 40,000 more players into the game.

Chief executive Noel Mooney said more investment was needed to deliver its new ten-year strategy, including facilities to support the growth of women’s and girls’ football.

Speaking to BBC Sport Wales, he said the association had spent more than £30 million building pitches over the past four years, but substantial work remained.

“We need a lot more support,” he said.

Mr Mooney said the FAW’s own resources were increasing, but it needed greater help from the Welsh Government and Wales’ 22 local authorities.

The appeal comes as the association launches Llunio Cymru, its strategy for 2026 to 2036, which combines plans to expand grassroots football with targets for the domestic game and national teams.

It aims to increase registered player numbers from 120,000 to 160,000, with women and girls accounting for at least half of the additional players.

The FAW says more than 3,000 contributions from workshops, consultations and sessions across Wales helped shape the strategy.

Grassroots football

Improving access to pitches is a central ambition. The strategy calls for “quality football facilities within 15 minutes of every community in Wales, giving priority to those who need it most”.

Its accompanying participation plan proposes reviewing pitch use, increasing access for women and girls, and improving the quality of grass pitches.

The association also wants to halve the number of players aged 12 to 17 leaving the game.

The participation plan pledges to “deliver targeted projects in the 100 most deprived and diverse communities” to increase participation.

Other measures include more flexible playing formats, expanded opportunities for disabled people and football opportunities for girls in every school.

The FAW also aims to ensure every competitive match at under-12 level and above has a qualified neutral referee by 2035.

Developing players

The high-performance plan proposes closer links between grassroots football, talent identification, academies, professional clubs and national teams.

It commits the FAW to working with partners to “establish four elite academies across Wales to service the most talented Welsh eligible players across our men’s and women’s pathways”.

The association says it will collaborate with professional clubs in Wales to develop those systems, alongside domestic academies.

Dr David Adams, the FAW’s chief football officer, said: “Welsh identity will remain at the heart of how we develop and represent Cymru. Our ambition is to create a connected pathway that gives every talented Welsh player the chance to reach their potential.

“By bringing together grassroots football, academies, domestic and professional clubs, and our national teams, we can provide the coaching, support and performance environment required to compete with the very best.”

International ambitions

The strategy aims for the senior men’s and women’s teams to participate in half of major international tournaments.

It also sets specific goals to “reach the knockout stages of the Men’s European Championship in 2028 and 2035 FIFA Women’s World Cup”.

The FAW wants the men’s team to reach the top 20 in the FIFA rankings and the women’s team the top 24, while increasing engagement with the domestic leagues and creating more opportunities for young players.

A dedicated women’s and girls’ football plan is due to be published in November.

Bethan Woolley, the FAW’s head of women and girls’ football, said it would seek to create “more places to play, more visible pathways to progress and more opportunities to coach, referee, volunteer and lead”.