There was an air of excitement around the summit of Yr Wyddfa this morning as Cymru head coach Rhian Wilkinson spoke with belief and enthusiasm about the challenge of competing at UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 in just a couple of weeks time.
Wilkinson had plenty of time to gather her thoughts ahead of the squad announcement press conference as she took the option to climb to the summit of Yr Wyddfa, and explained the personal and professional relevance of the location chosen to confirm the 23 players who will represent Cymru in Switzerland next month.
“This was a special mountain for my family,” said Wilkinson. “My parents had their honeymoon up here, but equally we used to come up here as kids. When my father died we had a little ceremony for him right out here.” The emotional attachment was clear as Wilkinson addressed the assembled media, most of which opted to take the early train, while the scale of Cymru’s achievement made it a fitting venue.
“The mountain we’ve used as a theme because it was always going to be an uphill battle,” she explained. “We were going to have little setbacks, but what is mountaineering? Exactly that, the challenge of steeper parts and flattening off, all these parallels you can make. As we’ve moved towards the Euro’s we’ve started talking more about this summit, the Everest part, that something is impossible until it isn’t, and we’re there.”
Ingle returns
One player who has had an uphill battle both physically and emotionally to be included in the squad is Sophie Ingle. One of Cymru’s true greats, the former captain suffered an ACL injury last September and has not played a game since. “We needed to make sure that Sophie was in a good place,” Wilkinson explained. “She’s still on her path to full fitness, but she’s in a position now where she can contribute and that’s important for us.
“There’s a really great mix in this squad, which is exciting for me, and equally, the Welsh public. I don’t want to get into the playing time expectations for Sophie because she is pushing and she is looking really good in training. Sophie has to be able to contribute at some stage, that was the prerequisite I had, and when she was able to meet that she was straight into the squad.”
Tough decisions
Ingle is one of four centurions in the squad alongside Hayley Ladd, Jess Fishlock and current captain Angharad James. However, with only 23 places available and over 30 players involved in the senior squad during the last Nations League campaign, there were difficult decisions for Wilkinson to make. “I hope I’ve been really clear that the names that are not on this list have given everything for their country,” she explained.
“Those phone calls when I had to break their heart were, and are always are going to be, the worst part of my job. These are people’s careers, good people and great players, who just didn’t make the cut. But equally, with my staff, we’ve worked really hard to make sure the names that are on there are on there for the right reasons, and because they’re healthy and ready to represent their country.”
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Opportunities
The Nations League provided the perfect preparation for Cymru ahead of the tournament, and Wilkinson’s decision to experiment with her side offered opportunities for a number of young players to impress. “For large parts of our League A campaign we were without Sophie Ingle and Jess Fishlock,” she added. “Not long ago you’d think you would struggle, but that has only given other players chances to step up and deliver, and we’ve seen that across the board.
“Every player that we’ve put on the field has done more than enough and I’ve never been let down by a young player. It’s a really great mix in this squad which is exciting for me. The older players have been really, really good with our young players. We said from the beginning that if our young ones didn’t feel equally as a part of this journey, we wouldn’t qualify.
“I think this is a great mixture of experience and less experience, but equally the characters as well. There’s a group of senior players who have come through the whole thing, they have seen it all, been through it all and fought the fights to get the team over the line at what may be the end of their careers. It’s one of those things as a coach you are really proud of, to help deliver that.”
EURO challenge ‘only a privilege’
Cymru will take on the Netherlands, France and holders England in Group D when the action kicks-off next month. This is the first time that Cymru have ever qualified for major women’s tournament, but Wilkinson believes this achievement will be the catalyst for a bright future. “These younger players that have just come into the team will never know anything but this team qualifying for major tournaments,” she added.
“Which is a pretty powerful thing that these senior players are now able to deliver. They’re ready and they want to be as prepared as possible. They’ve done the hard work, they’ve done the training and now it’s just around the corner. I think it’s an excitement because there’s this unknown, but equally, this is what we’ve been waiting for, so we’ve got to make sure we enjoy the journey.
“I do think sometimes the stress can make it feel heavy, and my goal will be that at no point in this tournament do we allow it to feel like a burden, because it’s only a privilege.”
