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, venue costs and more, the fund is helping clubs across Wales overcome barriers and improve access to the game.
To find out more about the impact of the fund, we spoke with Tenby FC U9s girls coach Gareth Boyle and the players at the club to hear how it has enhanced their club.
How has the fund supported your club?
Gareth: Admiral’s Ready to Play fund has supported us to form a new u9’s girls team at Tenby AFC and we’ve had 15 girls join this season! We used the money mainly for pitch hire so the girls could play indoors as much as possible over the wet winter and some cones, bibs and footballs.
Have you seen an increase in confidence amongst the girls who have started their footballing journeys with you and how important is this?
Gareth: All the girls have grown in confidence as individuals which is so important to help us play well as a team. At the start of the season as you would expect with a new age group starting everyone was quite shy and nervous especially coming from a variety of local schools. However, they all get on well in a good environment and support each other on and off the field in other local sports too.
What other skills have the girls gained from playing football?
Gareth: Being in a football team has taught the girls how to communicate better, be confident and learn to solve problems as a group and individuals.
What is the hope for the future of your girls’ section at the club?
Gareth: We would love to keep growing our girls section to give as many girls as possible the chance to play and create an u7s and women’s team!
How does the club have a wider impact in bringing the community closer together?
Gareth: The club has a good impact within the community with local businesses supporting the team. It’s giving the local girls and surrounding areas a platform and safe place to come enjoy, learn and showcase their talent. It helps the club form a good reputation within the local area and showcase our strong growing girls section that we plan on increasing over the next couple of years. We have a local caravan park just across the road from the club where it’s used as base for lots of touring teams to stay over for a weekend to play against us.
Have the girls been to watch Cymru women’s national team yet and are they inspired by the team?
Gareth: Yes the team were very fortunate enough to attend Wales V Montenegro in Llanelli. Within the squad, there are some very talented players who could be playing at a higher standard and one day, who knows, for Wales. After watching the women’s game, a couple of weeks ago the girls loved the atmosphere in and around the stadium before, during and after kicking off. A few do come to training now and give updates of what’s happened that weekend in women’s football and they are so truly inspired by the women’s football they watch on the TV.
We also caught up with the team themselves to find out their favourite things about their new Tenby AFC team created by Admiral’s Ready to Play funding!
What has been your favourite thing about playing football and how does it make you feel?
Florence: I enjoy playing for Tenby and I am happy when we score goals.
Connie: Playing with my friends makes me happy.
Evie: Taking part in the games makes me feel good and happy!
Olivia: Playing at the same club as my big brother and scoring goals.
