By Donna Lincoln
She is now excited for Wales to earn the benefits of having their women鈥檚 team play at a major tournament with their first match against the Netherlands on Saturday.
鈥淚n Wales, we are little bit late to the party, in female sport in general not just in football,鈥 she said. 鈥淚f you compared to our neighbours, 10 years ago England were ploughing a lot of resources into the women鈥檚 game and supporting it in a different manner.
鈥淭hey are a bigger nation, but you can say the same about Scotland, you can say the same for Ireland and Northern Ireland.
鈥淲e have been a little bit slower to get there but now we are getting there it is about the growth in the grassroots environment. We鈥檙e in a good place but there is still a lot to do.鈥
Ludlow was speaking at the training base for Gwalia United, Wales鈥 oldest women鈥檚 football club and the only Welsh team operating in the English women鈥檚 system.
The club, previously known as Cardiff City Ladies, have produced more than 100 Wales internationals including legends Jess Fishlock and Sophie Ingle.
Gwalia have benefitted from 拢20,000 of National Lottery funding from Sport Wales, while The FAW is driving unprecedented growth in women’s and girls’ football through dedicated programmes, including BE.FC and Huddle, supported by significant National Lottery investment that has helped double the FAW’s commitment to female participation.
Over 拢300,000 of National Lottery funds from Sport Wales was invested into FAW projects and initiatives in the 2024/25 season alone, with the FAW able to double its investment in women鈥檚 and girls鈥 football with National Lottery support.
Additional National Lottery funding includes 拢750,000 for the development of the National Football Centre in Cardiff and 拢250,000 for the Elite Centre in Wrexham (Colliers Park).
Bethan Woolley, the strategic lead of women鈥檚 and girls’ football at the FAW believes Wales鈥 appearance at the Euros in Switzerland will have an enormous impact on the grassroots game.
She said: 鈥淭his is just the start of the journey, we are really seeing this opportunity as being the catalyst for more women and girls than ever before to be involved in the game.
鈥淲e are developing a new talent pathway to ensure every woman and girl has the right environment to play and develop and achieve. 鈥淲e have a comprehensive legacy programme that is aligned to the women鈥檚 and girls鈥 strategy.
鈥淭he key priorities within them are to increase participation, reduce the number of girls leaving the game between 12 and 17.
鈥淚t is also around how we can increase the number of local role models within football so women鈥檚 referees, women鈥檚 coaches, women鈥檚 volunteers.鈥
To support this the FAW are running free coaching workshops in July for people interested in getting into coaching and to help those already involved develop.
It is part of Chwarae FOR HER, a week-long celebration beginning on 5 July that highlight the power of football and aims to inspire women and girls across Wales to get involved.
The National Lottery’s ongoing investment鈥攚ith players raising 拢30 million weekly for good causes throughout the UK鈥攅nsures that Wales’s Euro 2025 debut is just the beginning of the story.
Thanks to National Lottery players, over 拢6bn has been invested in grassroots sport over the last 30 years, helping the FAW double its investment in women鈥檚 and girls鈥 football. Programmes like BE.FC and Huddle are driving unprecedented growth, as well as The National Lottery-funded Performance Pathway, all contributing to Wales Women鈥檚 first ever major tournament qualification at this summer鈥檚 EUROs.
For more information on how you can get involved in coaching and all FAW programmes and initiatives, visit: www.https://www.fawcourses.com/category/football-for-her