The inspirational story of the Cymru women’s national team is on the verge of adding a new and long-awaited chapter on finally qualifying for the finals of a major tournament as Rhian Wilkinson’s side prepare to take on the Republic of Ireland for a place at EURO 2025.
From the trailblazing amateurs of the 1970’s to the modern day professionals, the extensive media coverage of the journey that this team has been on over the last 50 years has highlighted the incredible situations and scenarios that have shaped the current team. Now unrecognisable from those formative years, the unwavering belief of key individuals has made the impossible possible, while defining moments have changed the course of history for women’s football in Wales.
In April 2017, Jess Fishlock made her 100th senior international appearance and scored in a 3-1 win over Northern Ireland. “The landscape of women’s football, in Wales and globally, has changed dramatically in the time I have taken to make it to 100 caps,” said Fishlock to BBC Sport Wales at the time. “It’s like a different sport now to what it was then.”
Only a couple of hundred people were in attendance at the humble surroundings of the CCB Centre in Ystrad Mynach to witness that historic occasion for one of Wales’ true all-time greats. By comparison, over 15,500 tickets have already been sold for the upcoming EURO Play-Off Final against the Republic of Ireland at the Cardiff City Stadium. Fishlock had seen significant change between her debut in 2006 and becoming a centurion in 2017, but even she may not have expected where it would be in 2024.
Now 37-years old with an additional 56 caps behind her, Fishlock remains a key player for Cymru. The all-time record appearance holder and goalscorer in Cymru history, she is player who has consistently defined the different eras that have shaped the current state of the national team. She has grown in tandem with this evolution, and deserves to achieve her ultimate professional dream of representing Cymru on the biggest stage. The heartbreak of previous failed campaigns only fuelling her desire not to say goodbye on the back of another.
But this ambition has become a realistic possibility through many different factors along the way. The powerful stories of those who wrote the first chapters have been told through some exceptional documentaries recently, culminating in the legacy caps that were recently awarded to those who represented Cymru between 1973 and 1992. Recognising the part they played in the history of the game, their determination paved the way for the next generation, but it was in August 2010 that the landscape changed forever.
A groundbreaking appointment
In a groundbreaking move, the Football Association of Wales appointed a full-time head coach to lead the international women’s game. Jarmo Matikainen, a 50-year old Finnish coach, was tasked with developing a professional environment across all aspects of the game in Wales while also coaching the WU17, WU19 and senior teams. “Wales is a country of excellent football tradition,” he explained. “There is clearly potential with the players and the national team as well.”
Cymru would finish third in their qualifying group for EURO 2013 and missed out on a place at the finals, but Matikainen would lead a team at a major tournament as Wales hosted the UEFA WU19 Championship that summer. Senior team captain Angharad James was part of that side, making her the only player in the current senior squad to have played at a finals tournament. Cymru would fail to make it out of their group, but progress with the senior team was evident in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers, with Cymru winning six of their ten games.
Changing the mindset and culture, Matikainen would call time on his Welsh football experience in 2014, but he left a lasting legacy with his professional approach and dedication to raising the standards across the board. “Jarmo being appointed was huge,” explained former Cymru international Gwennan Harries during the tournament. “It was vital we had somebody involved full time with the whole structure to ensure each age group play the same way, with the same footballing philosophies. He has been absolutely brilliant and we are seeing the benefits of his hard work.”
Former Cymru striker Jayne Ludlow was part of that crossover as her own playing career came to an end. A club professional with Arsenal while also experiencing the juxtaposition of the amateur setup of the national team, Ludlow appreciated more than anyone just how much work was needed prior to Matikainen’s appointment. Coaching the Cymru WU16 team while completing her badges with the FAW, Ludlow would find herself elevated into the main position of Cymru head coach in October 2014 after a spell with Reading.
Ludlow introduced herself by appointing 23-year old Sophie Ingle as captain, and she would retain the armband until she relinquished the responsibility herself in April this year. “It’s been honestly the best nine years of my career representing my country and leading this group of girls out,” said Ingle. “I think it’s right to pass it on to someone else and let them experience what I’ve experienced. The highs and the lows and the leadership that comes with that, and the responsibility that they now take from being the new captain.”
The highs and lows that Ingle reflected on would begin as Ludlow prepared for EURO 2017 qualification. Respective 3-0 and 4-0 defeats against Austria and Norway left the campaign over before it had really begun, but Ludlow accepted that a step back in order to move forward was needed, and the focus switched to shoring up the defence for the remaining games. However, like her predecessor, Ludlow would also be responsible for the fortunes of the women’s intermediate teams.
“I was naive,” explained Ludlow to BBC Sport Wales recently. “I was thankful for the opportunity to learn and develop but I had no acknowledgement of the challenges ahead and how to try and balance development and senior football, they’re completely different projects. The decision you make on one camp compared to the other is completely different, the preparation should be completely different and we had to try and balance that with a really small inexperienced staff group.”
Defensive foundations
However, the defensive strategy was justified in a defining campaign as Cymru looked to reach the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Ludlow’s side would keep seven clean-sheets in eight games, with qualification hinging on a last day winner-takes-all match against rivals England in Newport. A 0-0 draw in Southampton, inspired by goalkeeper Laura O’Sullivan, was recognised as their greatest-ever result, while the 3-0 win over Russia and the snowball effect of increasing attendances marked this as a turning point in the Cymru story.
With over 5,000 fans in attendance, a record for Cymru at the time, England would score three goals in the 2nd half to top the group and qualify for the finals in France. It was heartbreaking, but the media spotlight and attention on the team in the build-up throughout 2018 was unparalleled and changed the dynamic. Despite Ludlow emphasising that her team were ‘massively overachieving’ with the resources available, expectation naturally increased ahead of what would be her final qualifying campaign.
A 6-0 win away to the Faroe Islands in EURO 2022 qualifying saw 15-year old Carrie Jones make her senior international debut, while the two narrow 1-0 defeats to Norway was testament to the defensive work that Ludlow had implemented since her first campaign five years before. However, two draws with Northern Ireland showed a few cracks in the armour, dents no doubt from the disappointment of coming so close yet so far last time around.
“Jayne has played a huge part in the progress of the women’s game in Wales over the past six years, managing the side through three qualification campaigns,” said then FAW CEO Jonathan Ford following her departure in January 2021. “The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign enhanced the profile of the game throughout the country, inspiring young girls across Wales to play football for the first time.”
With the landscape of women’s football in Wales now very different, a different type of successor was needed to feed the demand of taking this team to the next level. Gemma Grainger was not a recognisable name when her appointment was announced in March 2021, but her proven track record of coaching success with England’s Lionesses at intermediate and senior level made the 38-year old a veteran of seven major tournaments and an inspired choice. It was also significant that, unlike her predecessors, her sole remit would be to lead the senior team.
“Jayne did some fantastic work and that shows in how fine the qualification margins were in the last campaign,” said Grainger following her appointment. “It’s about building on the current foundation and maximising the strengths that we have in the group. There’s some world class players here, and we need those players to be performing within a structure where there is freedom for them to perform. I want to give our best players the licence to go and do what they do best.”
A positive approach
And Grainger delivered on her promise as she made an immediate tactical switch by moving Ingle from defence and into her preferred midfield position. In addition, there would be no individual striker left to work the opponents defensive line alone as a change in approach saw Cymru show a real belief in their attacking capabilities while maintaining a solid defensive structure. Although qualification for EURO 2025 was seen as the initial target for Grainger, an excellent 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign saw Cymru reach the play-offs for the first time ever.
Although it would prove to be a significant campaign on the field, it was off the field that new standards were set. The appointment of Lowri Roberts for a four-year stint as the Head of Women’s Football in 2019 helped to develop an active shift in culture, while the arrival of current CEO Noel Mooney in 2021 ensured a financial commitment to the growth of the women’s game. A six-year strategy, equal pay and new initiatives were introduced, while results on the field developed a feel-good factor that fuelled a positive new dawn.
The final group match in the qualifying campaign doubled the attendance record for a Cymru home women’s international as 12,741 fans watched the 0-0 draw with Slovenia in Cardiff in September 2022. One month later, a new record of 15,200 witnessed Fishlock score an incredible goal as Cymru defeated Bosnia & Herzegovina to setup a crucial match away to Switzerland the following week. Sadly, 2-1 defeat through a goal in the final minute of extra-time ended the World Cup dream.
Grainger was rewarded with a new contract in January 2023 to cover the next two campaigns, but striker and then all-time record goalscorer Helen Ward would bring her playing career to an end at the age of 36. A key figure on and off the field during the last decade and a pivotal part of Cymru’s progress, Ward departed with one regret. “It breaks my heart that I didn’t make it to a major tournament with this team. They’re a special bunch and they’re my family.”
Placed in League A, Cymru prepared for the inaugural edition of the UEFA Women’s Nations League with a high-profile friendly against the United States in California. The invite an indication of their growing status as a football nation. There was no disgrace in a 2-0 reverse, but the Nations League proved difficult for Grainger and her squad with consecutive 5-1 defeats to both Denmark and Germany. However, 2023 would finish on a high as Germany were held to a 0-0 draw in Swansea as Cymru put in a resolute performance.
Surprisingly, it would prove to be the last match of Grainger’s tenure as Norway came calling in January this year. “Over the last three years I have given my heart and soul to our journey,” said Grainger on her departure “I will be forever grateful to have had the opportunity to work with this team and proud nation. I had no intention to leave Cymru, but I have been offered an unexpected opportunity that I could not turn down. I hope you know the decision to leave has not been taken lightly.”
Time to deliver
With EURO 2025 qualifying fast-approaching, Cymru went high-profile with the appointment of Rhian Wilkinson. A former Canada international with Welsh family ties, Wilkinson boasted a proven record of success having coached the Portland Thorns to the NWSL Championship in 2022, while her own playing career saw her inducted into the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame, earn over 180 caps for her country and collect bronze medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games.
“We undertook a thorough recruitment process for the new Head Coach, and we were very impressed with the high quality of the candidates,” explained FAW Chief Football Officer Dr David Adams. “The FAW has made good progress across the women’s game in Wales over recent years and Rhian’s appointment puts us in the best place possible for qualification to next summer’s EUROs and the period beyond. Qualification for a major tournament would be a turning point for the women’s game across Wales, and we can’t wait to get started.”
Wilkinson’s winning mentality quickly erased the frustration of the Nations League campaign as Cymru cruised through the 1st stage of EURO qualifying as undefeated group winners, scoring 18 goals in six games. Vulnerabilities were exposed in a surprise 1st leg 2-1 defeat to Slovakia in the Play-Off Semi-Final, but another five-figure crowd lifted the side to a 2-0 (3-2 aggregate) win in the return match through goals from Fishlock and Ceri Holland. Now the Republic of Ireland stand between Cymru and the EURO finals.
The story began in 1973 as the pioneers of the time smashed through glass ceilings for those who wear the shirt today. It was back in 2010 that Jarmo Matikainen took the first steps of introducing a professional culture to the Cymru squad and gave direction to the wider women’s game in Wales. His successors have each added their own blocks to the structures that they inherited, and if you build it, they will come. On Friday night, yet another attendance record is set to be broken.
A tough test awaits Cymru to reach Switzerland next summer, but the journey to this point has been one of constant progress guided by inspirational figures who have gone above and beyond to push this team forward and defy the odds. Their efforts have been rewarded with this current Cymru team. A talented group combining youth and experience, there is a determination within the squad to deliver major tournament football. With your support, the next chapter in this incredible story could just be the best yet.
