Wales investing in success for the women's game

After a 1-1 draw in front of a 16,845 record crowd at the Cardiff City Stadium, the UEFA Women's EURO play-off round two match between Wales and Ireland hung in the balance ahead of the second leg in Dublin.

Wales quietened the home crowd with a 2-1 win, qualifying for the Women's EURO 2025 with a 3-2 victory on aggregate.

The final whistle sparked jubilant celebrations from the Welsh players and travelling fans, who had stuck with their team through their historic qualifying campaign.

UEFA Nations League success

Following head coach Gemma Grainger's departure earlier this year, a former Canadian international with Welsh roots in Rhian Wilkinson was tasked with finally delivering qualification.

Winners of the UEFA Women’s Nations League Group B4, Wales went through the first stage of the new qualification process undefeated, registering back-to-back victories over Croatia and Kosovo before defeating Slovakia over two legs in round one of the play-offs.

Jess Fishlock scored the first goal of the decisive second leg against Slovakia and remains a talismanic figure.

The 37-year-old is Wales' record appearance holder and goalscorer, and has witnessed first-hand the progression, development and investment that makes the current setup unrecognisable from her senior debut back in 2006.

Jess Fishlock of Wales celebrates scoring her team's first goal against Croatia during a UEFA Women's European Qualifier for EURO 2025Getty Images

Rapid growth of women's football in Wales

One Irishman who was in Wales' corner for the crucial play-off was Football Association of Wales (FAW) CEO Noel Mooney. Appointed in July 2021, his tenure began with the launch of the 'Our Wales: For Her' five-point women's football strategy.

"We have set an ambitious target to double the participation and get 20,000 playing by 2026 – in order for us to ensure the game reaches its full potential," said Mooney at the time.

Now three years down the line, the landscape of women's football is very different, and significantly healthier, at every level. Almost 16,000 female players are now registered in Wales, a 45% increase, while almost 4,000 girls have taken part in the UEFA Playmakers programme since 2021.

The FAW has more female representation at staff and board level, additional investment through stakeholders and commercial partnerships means funding for the women's game has risen 254% since 2021, and on-field success has seen the average attendance rise from 1,800 to over 6,000.

The women's domestic game has also grown exponentially, while further investment into the FAW Academy programme has helped to improve the quality of players coming through the ranks.

"We are thrilled with the rapid growth of the women’s and girls’ game across Wales," said Mooney in October. "The strategy is ambitious, and the progress made so far is monumental. The FAW is committed to building on this success and reaching even greater heights."

These ambitions are now well on their way to being achieved following Wales' victory against the Republic of Ireland in their Women’s EURO 2025 play-off.