Wales recognised as a FIFA talent academy

Wales has become the first European nation to be recognised as a FIFA talent academy in a move designed to raise the standard of girls’ football in the country.

FIFA chief of global football development Arsene Wenger has been the mastermind of the Talent Development Scheme (TDS), which will be introduced on the back of Wales playing at its first major women’s tournament at Euro 2025 this summer.

The TDS will see a FIFA-recruited and trained coach deployed to work within the FAW Girls’ National Academy environment alongside local coaches and staff.

Wenger’s deputy Steve Martens attended the programme launch in Newport on Thursday and said: “The Football Association of Wales has the ambition to give every talent a chance.

“They have looked at what is the gap and where we can have a really positive impact.

“It is getting help from FIFA to set up an academy specifically for girls and this is a way for FIFA to also be connected on the grass.

“Wales has just qualified for the Euros, and this is definitely a sign of ambition for the girls here to be there one day as well.”

Invested

Rhian Wilkinson’s side finished bottom of their Euros group, suffering defeats against traditional powerhouses England – the eventual winners – France and the Netherlands.

The FAW has invested heavily in women’s football in recent years and has been rewarded with participation numbers up 45 per cent since 2021.

Spectator figures have also swelled with the Wales Women’s national team playing in front of record five-figure crowds at the Cardiff City Stadium.

FAW chief executive Noel Mooney said: “In our strategy we talk about Wales on the world stage and this is a perfect symbol of that.

“We had a terrific experience in Switzerland at the Euros, but we also left there thinking ‘we’ve still got a lot of work to do’.

“We’ve got the pathway now, but we need to keep developing that and going to the World Cup is another step.”

Bright future

Germany great Ariane Hingst was in Newport and believes Wales have a bright future in the women’s game.

“I don’t think I ever played against Wales, they just weren’t that good back then,” said Hingst, who won the World Cup twice and the European Championship four times during her international career.

“But to see Wales stepping up now is fantastic. To have these programmes and FIFA Academies, to develop the players and give them possibilities and options, will help Wales more in the future.

“They might have lost all three matches at the Euros, but they presented themselves on the big world stage.

“What is important to me is these girls saw their idols play there.

“Now they have something to dream for themselves and a way of getting there.”