BBC Sport has published an article highlighting the significant growth of women’s and girls’ football in Wales, with more than 20,000 players now registered — a milestone described by FAW chief executive Noel Mooney as “a hugely proud moment for Welsh football”, driven by long-term strategy, investment in facilities and a renewed focus on creating environments that work for women and girls.
The article emphasises how changes to facilities, attitudes and prioritisation within clubs have helped support participation, particularly at grassroots level, ensuring women and girls have the space, voice and opportunity to play and progress in the game. As Bethan Woolley, FAW strategic lead for women and girls’ football, explains, this has meant “understanding the needs and desires of women and girls to be within those environments”.
Across Cardiff City House of Sport, our facilities are home to women’s sport every day, supporting participation, development and visibility across multiple levels. These spaces are designed to be inclusive, welcoming and fit for the future, echoing the FAW’s ambition to make football “the most inclusive and accessible sport for women and girls in Wales”.
The new Amdani Hi facilities at House of Sport Ocean Way venue is a key home for women’s football, hosting regular women’s and girls’ sessions and providing an elite training environment for Cardiff City FC Women. With FAW support for the pitch and continued investment through the Cymru Football Foundation, the venue reflects the importance of facilities that are “appropriate, first and foremost, for women and girls players”.
Milestones like this reflect the collective effort taking place across Wales — from national programmes to local facilities — and, as Mooney notes, show how the pathway from grassroots to the elite level has “never been stronger”, with women’s football continuing to grow and build momentum for the future.
Cardiff City House of Sport are proud to be contributing to this growing uptake in women’s and girls grassroots sport across Wales, and our venues continue to be a progressive and welcoming place for all to enjoy sport.
