Admiral launched the Ready to Play fund as part of our continued partnership at the beginning of the 2025 season. The fund will support the creation of 150 new U6–U9 girls’ teams over the next three years.
By covering fees related to kits, registration, coach education, facility hire, and venue costs, the fund is helping clubs across Wales overcome barriers and improve access to the game.
Rockspur Juniors is an established club in Swansea with over 200 girls now registered. With teams ranging from u6’s to senior women’s. To find out more about the impact of the fund, we caught up with Evie Winter, coach at Rockspur Juniors and some of the girls themselves to hear how it has enhanced their club.
The club provides football opportunities for all ages and abilities and is the heart of the local community. Having expanded their girls sections by three teams since last season the Admiral Ready to Play Fund is already making a huge difference at Rockspur Juniors:
How has the fund supported your club?
Evie: The fund has had a huge impact on Rockspur, helping the club grow and reach more girls in the community. As a result of this growth, the club now has over 200 girls registered, which is a fantastic achievement and shows both the demand for girls’ football and the success of the programme. We used the funding to invest in our overall girls section and coaching staff meaning we started the 2025/2026 season with an additional three u6’s girls teams!
Importantly, the funding has also benefited the coaches, giving them opportunities to gain coaching qualifications and further their development. This not only improves the quality of training the girls receive, but also helps build a stronger, more sustainable club for the future.
Have you seen an increase in confidence amongst the girls who have started their footballing journey’s with you?
Evie: Yes, there has definitely been a noticeable increase in confidence among the girls who’ve started their football journeys at Rockspur. Many girls arrive feeling shy or unsure of themselves, but over time you can see real changes. They begin to speak up more, try new things and have become much more confident socially too!
That confidence doesn’t just stay on the pitch it carries into school, friendships, and everyday life. And it really is crucial. Building confidence is just as important as developing football skills.
What other skills have the girls gained from playing football?
Evie: Playing at Rockspur helps the girls develop far more than just football ability they gain a wide range of valuable life skills.
They build strong teamwork and communication skills. Football teaches them how to work together, support each other, and communicate clearly all essential both on the pitch and in everyday life. Another key skill is resilience. Not every game is a win, and learning how to handle setbacks, keep going, and improve is hugely important for their growth. In addition to this they learn things like discipline, commitment, leadership skills and more to become well-rounded people.
How does the club have a wider impact in bringing the community closer together?
Evie: Rockspur Football Club are really keen on bringing the community together it’s about much more than just playing matches.
At its core, the club creates a shared space where people regularly come together. Players, parents, coaches, and volunteers all connect through training sessions, matchdays, and events. That consistent interaction builds friendships, trust, and a real sense of belonging in our local community.
What is the hope for the future of your girls’ section at the club?
Evie: The future of the girls’ section at Rockspur Football Club is really about growth, opportunity, and long-term impact both on and off the pitch. A key ambition is to continue growing participation, giving more girls in the local area the chance to play. Across Wales, there’s huge demand for girls’ football, with many clubs working to increase opportunities and keep girls involved as they get older . For Rockspur, that means building more teams, welcoming new players, and making football accessible to everyone.
Another big hope is to create a clear pathway for development. This means helping girls progress from beginners to more competitive levels, and potentially into senior football in the future, we have a successful women’s team which is great for the girls to see a pathway. The future vision is to keep growing the girls’ section into something bigger and stronger where every girl has the chance to play, develop, be inspired, and feel part of something special.
Have the team been to watch Cymru women’s national team and are they inspired by the team?
Evie: Yes the girls recently went to watch the Cymru women’s national team against Montenegro, and it was a fantastic experience for them. The Cymru women’s team are a big inspiration and makes the game feel real and achievable for the girls!
What has been your favourite thing about playing football for Rockspur?
Tia: My favourite thing about playing football for Rockspur is being with my friends and having fun.
Hollie: I love training because we get to learn new skills and play games, and everyone cheers each other on. It makes me feel really happy when I score a goal or help defend in my team. I also like matchdays because they’re exciting, and it is great to be together as a team and having player of the week.
Millie: Football has helped me be more confident, and I’ve made lots of new friends outside of school which has really helped me. The coaches always help or cheer us on even when we are losing, it’s just really fun and I always look forward to training or matches.
