The coaching structure for the Cymru Youth National Teams has been confirmed for the 2026/27 season.
Jon Grey will be taking charge of the MU19s this season, continuing the UEFA U19 EURO 2026/27 qualifying campaign which started in March and included a draw against France and a win against Switzerland. Grey’s side will travel to Marbella for friendly fixtures in the September/October international window (opponents TBC) ahead of the second round of the UEFA EURO qualifying campaign which will be hosted in Wales. Cymru will face Finland, Iceland and 2026 tournament winners Spain.
Nia Davies will continue to manage to the WU19s who will look to hold their place in League A of the UEFA WU19 EURO qualifiers when they face holders Spain, Italy and Israel in the autumn (dates and venue TBC). Prior to the qualifiers, Davies’ side will face Greece in a home double header in October in south Wales. With Davies in charge, last season’s WU19 side kept their place in League A throughout the season, a campaign which included wins against England and Türkiye.
After leading last season’s MU19s at the UEFA U19 EURO finals in north Wales this summer, Chris Gunter will be taking charge of the MU18s side for the 2026/27 season. Gunter takes the role alongside his full-time role as Assistant Coach at Oxford United and his side will meet up in October to face Finland in an away double header.
Adrian Harvie progresses with the 2010 age group players to become the Head Coach for the MU17s this season. His side have been drawn alongside the Republic of Ireland, Estonia and hosts Denmark in the 2026/27 UEFA U17 EURO First Qualifying Round in November. Prior to the tournament, there will be an August training camp prior to a camp in Spain in September for a friendly mini tournament.
Cymru’s WU17s are in League B for Round One of the 2026/27 UEFA WU17 EURO qualifiers, and Natalie Lawrence will take charge of the side when they face North Macedonia, Luxembourg and hosts Georgia in October. Prior to the UEFA qualifiers, Lawrence’s side will travel to Portugal in early September for a friendly mini tournament.
Drew Sherman will lead the MU16s this season. His side will face the Republic of Ireland in a double header in Ruthin on Tuesday 18 (KO 3pm) and Thursday 20 August (KO 11am) ahead of the season’s UEFA development tournaments.
Jonathan Jones takes charge of the Cymru MU15s this season and his side will begin their campaign with a UEFA Development Tournament in Zagreb, Croatia.
Warren Holmes will take charge of the WU16 and WU15 sides who will take part in UEFA development tournaments and friendly matches across the season.
Looking ahead to the upcoming season, the FAW’s Chief Football Officer Dr. David Adams said; “We have built a talented and experienced specialist youth coaching team who provide a fantastic development environment for our young players.”
“While we will always focus on making our youth teams competitive, our primary goal is to graduate an average of two players each year from our pathway to our Men’s and Women’s Senior National Teams. Our primary focus is to develop each individual to reach their full potential.”.
