Special Report: Cymru Talent ID – Part 2

There’s a huge year ahead for the Cymru national team as Rhian Wilkinson’s squad prepare to head to EURO 2025 this summer and compete at the finals of a major tournament for the very first time.

But while stars like Jess Fishlock, Sophie Ingle and captain Angharad James will make the headlines in Switzerland, the progression and development of the next generation is very much in Wilkinson’s mind as teenagers like Mayzee Davies and Mared Griffiths look to establish themselves in the senior squad. Their elevation is testament to the work of the Talent ID programme and its role in ensuring that Cymru will continue to compete with the elite of the European and world game.

In the second of our special two-part Talent ID report, we spoke to Women and Girls Talent ID Executive Derice Richards, together with intermediate team coaches Peter Wilson and Nia Davies, to discover the process behind the emergence of the next generation of Cymru stars. The first part of this report explained the Talent ID process behind the men’s national team.

“There’s two main areas to my role,” explained Richards to FAW.cymru. “The first being the two regional academies, the North and South, which are for our domestic players who are who are based here in Wales and are too far away from the border to play in England. My role is mainly around exit pathways, so facilitating trials and moves for players when they’re old enough to move into professional club environments, but also putting things in place for those who maybe aren’t quite ready to then feed into our domestic leagues.”

The FAW Girls’ Academy system was introduced in 2021 as a key part of the strategy to develop clear and effective pathways for progression. The regional academies increase the amount of contact time with our elite players while providing competitive fixtures to enhance their development. The benefits include an increase in training sessions and tailor-made programmes based on the needs of the individual players involved. “Where we differ from the men’s is that we do have this unique model,” Richards added.

“The other area of my role is with the national teams. So from seniors down through to the Under-15’s. Each group obviously has different requirements, so we have to consider things like our high potential players, where they get different types of exposure and in what age groups. In addition, a big part of it is gap analysis, which is effectively figuring out what our strong positions are and where our gaps are, and that then leads recruitment at club level.

“A big chunk of our players all play in England or overseas, so it’s about growing that talent pool but still supporting and facilitating our domestic players. Finding the players who play at the best level with a connection to Wales. A big part of the Talent ID mission is to make sure that we have as big and as strong a talent pool as possible, and we try to leave no stone unturned. We have players all over the world who are eligible for Wales, so the resource that we have put into Talent ID of of late has really helped to grow that reach.

“Across the whole female pathway now there’s a number of new full-time positions that are starting to mirror what the men’s side have had over the last few years. In terms of having eyes on players, recognising talent and potential, and putting things in place to to facilitate their progression, we’re really well placed to do that effectively. There’s an abundance of players of a really high quality coming through right now. So it’s not about just screening for eligibility across the UK and wider, but about finding the best clubs for our young talent.”

Nia Davies is the current head coach of the Cymru WU19 team and plays her own part in the Talent ID programme. “Part of my role is to support with making contact with clubs, going to watch a lot of games and speaking to clubs about their players,” she explained. “There’s more of a push to see who is eligible to play for Wales and it’s exciting to see the different types of people who come out of the woodwork. Obviously, we still concentrate on the the girls that are in Wales, but it has to be a blend of both.”

Cymru head coach Rhian Wilkinson appreciates the need for creating the right environment when new players are brought into the national pathway. “Obviously, our Welsh players and the connection of our team and their connection to their country is paramount, and I always have to balance that,” she explained. “I’m very, very fortunate. I know what this environment is and I see it when I’m on camp every day. There’s a feeling in those camps that is hard to find in any other country. I back our environment and I back our culture.”

“Rhian is a great manager of people,” explained Richards. “One thing I’ve noticed from working with her in the short time that I have is her people skills and the way that she can relate to players, both through her personal experiences and playing experiences, which is exactly the right balance you need for aspiring players coming into that environment. She puts them at ease and has a really great temperament with just the right balance to integrate them, while still holding the integrity and the quality of the the camps.”

Cymru WU17 head coach Peter Wilson is another who recognises the progress that has been made through the Talent ID programme. “It’s become massive,” he explained. “We’re making leaps forward in terms of players that we’re getting from abroad and players that we’re getting internally. It’s crucial because we’re a small nation so we’ve got to look at things differently. We can’t just rely on players within Wales. It’s about getting that blend right of home grown talent, but also what can we find elsewhere.”

Richards is also excited about the potential benefits of Cymru’s qualification for EURO 2025 and what it can do to increase female participation across the country. “I think it’s huge,” he added. “The awareness it brings is massive. In terms of the grassroots game, I think we’ll see participation rocket on top of the trajectory that it has been on already. It puts us on the world scene and it’s testament to the work that’s happened over the last few years. It’s great to see the rewards. We already see a lot more referrals, a lot more people registering interest to represent the country.”