Over the last decade the Cymru men’s senior team have qualified for three major tournaments and now under current head coach Craig Bellamy boast a talented young squad pushing for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.
But the emergence of yet another impressive generation of Welsh talent is not through luck of coincidence, but through the dedication and commitment of those responsible for ensuring that every eligible player is discovered and developed through the Talent ID programme. In fact, over 80% of the current senior squad began their international journey through the U12 and U14 regional squads on their way to the more familiar intermediate ranks.
In the first of our special two-part Talent ID report, we sat down with National Talent ID Pathways Manager Gus Williams to learn more about how the programme is continuing to develop talented generations of Cymru stars for the men’s national team.
Williams has a long-standing association with the FAW and returned in April 2023 after a spell as Head of Player Recruitment at Blackburn Rovers. Williams explained the process and the key elements that set Cymru apart when it comes to keeping young players in the Welsh football family in an age where dual and multi-nationality has added to the challenges of the international game.
“We are all in it for one purpose and that’s to develop players for the national side,” said Williams (below). “It’s no coincidence that over 80% of the current senior team have come through the regional programme, and that’s unbelievable to see. The world is a smaller place now, and our role is to ensure that we are aware of every player who is eligible for Wales on a global scale.
“We can’t ignore anyone. Both I and James Holland (Senior National Talent ID Manager) understand the magnitude of the task. You’ve got to go out there and find them, and you will only do that if you have the passion, desire and enthusiasm to do it for your country.”
Williams was tasked with developing a Talent ID blueprint back in 2012 with a 10-year plan for Cymru to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Cymru would achieve this and more by also ending a 58-year wait to qualify for successive EURO finals in 2016 and 2020, and each squad is remembered for the amount of generational talent that emerged through the Welsh football pathway. Meanwhile, two different Cymru MU17 squads have qualified for the last two EURO finals, and more age group squads success appears inevitable in the near future.
“As an association we have to compare ourselves to where we were yesterday,” Williams added. “We want to be a better version of ourselves tomorrow. We must always strive to thrive, and when you apply that method of thinking you will always generate success. We have to learn from our failures and disappointments to make us a better Wales and a better footballing nation going forward. We’ve started to sustain that success now, so the search for players intensifies, as do the demands that align themselves to success.
“Any player who is eligible, irrespective of where they’re from or what club they’re from, has the same level of importance to us and they fall into the same stream of talent coming into the pathway. For some, it starts with the regionals at U12, for others, it starts at the age of 14 and beyond, but our database is populated with players who are younger than that for the purpose of succession planning.
“We embrace everyone as our ethos is that the players are Welsh. If we’re talking about a football family, then our behaviours have to be reflective of that. Our organisational values are family, respect and excellence, so it’s clearly an ethos that underpins our environment daily.
“The players coming in at the earliest point are involved for the whole two-years programme. We provide each player with five two-day sessions per season, enabling them to embed seamlessly into the Welsh football environment.
“One of our greatest resources is the staff, and every one of them, be it part-time or full-time, is focused on developing the person and the player. Once we have that conversation with clubs and they understand what our objectives are, then we have their full trust to look after their players.”
The landscape was very different at the start of the journey over a decade ago, as the majority of the 50 or so players in the regional squads would be from grassroots clubs in Wales. Now, having built relationships with professional clubs throughout the UK, the situation is very different.
“The players from the professional clubs were used to experiencing a professional overall environment on a daily basis than what we were offering at the time,” said Williams. “Gary Speed’s refinement of the senior environment into a more professional setting in 2011 cascaded into the age group squads across time and into the regional camps.
“The grassroots and Cymru Premier clubs would evolve also and they are now the bedrock for the National Academi system that we have today under Drew Sherman, running in parallel to the Pro regional camps. The key thing for us at that time was to explore across the border for eligible players.
“We engaged with clubs through meetings and sending them information about nominating players and the criteria required for eligibility. From that, the regional squads were extended to two days, worked on a syllabus, and were restricted to around 25-26 players. Players and parents started talking positively about their experience, generating exponential growth across the programme.
“One of the guarantees we give to parents is that over the two years, their child will enjoy themselves in the system, they will make new friends, and we will treat them like our own family. They’re young children, with good technical ability and an understanding of the game, which allows for a good foundation to move forward. Now we see players like Jordan James (below), who was a player in our regional squads, excelling for the senior team.”
Williams also explained how the regional squad teams are mixed between players from North and South at U12 and U14 level in preparation for their progress into the national squad at U15. However, with players learning the same principles of play, many show a seamless transition when it comes to playing alongside an unfamiliar team-mate due to the level of understanding that they have developed through the coaching practices in place. As enjoyment levels increase, so the Cymru attachment grows.
“Our contact time with the players is limited,” explained Williams. “But a key message to share within the parents’ meetings is that the players need to adapt to new situations to make the most of their opportunities. They will possibly play a different style at their clubs to what they will with us, but their ability to adapt between that will serve them well in their future careers. They will be more rounded players overall and we feel we’re adding to their game. We have regular meetings with clubs to share feedback, and we also find out more about their character.
“Once they get to the national squad at U15 they’ll line-up before the match in their Wales kit and sing the national anthem. Only the players who start will line-up on the field before the match, and it might be the only time they ever get to do it. A different starting line-up will be named for the second game, so all the players have had the opportunity to start and sing the anthem. They can look back in years to come and tell their own children what they did, and that’s very powerful.”
A familiar theme highlighted from speaking to Williams is the importance of getting players to enjoy the experience of being a part of the Cymru pathway. With the increased use of statistics and data-driven decision making, the basics of human nature still play a key role for Williams, Holland and the staff when it comes to helping players maximise their talent. Developing strong relationships with professional clubs is paramount for identifying players, while nurturing them through the Welsh football pathway brings the eventual reward.
“We are in this game to give people opportunities, and we want to create the best environment possible,” he added. “Ultimately, we are the front face of Welsh football to the players and the parents. They’re at an impressionable age, and these are the wider things we look to implement as part of the programme. There’s an emotive side to it, and there’s a connection across their eligibility status in that players want to make their families proud of them.
“Any players who don’t make it past that point aren’t forgotten about, as players can develop later, and our message is that it’s not the end. They could well find themselves in the age group squads a few years later. Focusing on cap accumulation for players in a competitive game schedule of a high standard against strong opposition is key. This game programme must be aligned to the player’s talent level, so there’s a lot of nuances involved before and if a player gets to the top.”
Future Talent
Find out more about the FAW’s Future Talent Programme
