During the FIFA Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia, the Football Association of Wales (FAW) and its partners across the game provided girls aged 4-11 with opportunities to participate in fun and friendly festivals across Wales. These opportunities are thanks to the FAW partnering with FIFA and support from the FIFA Women’s Football Development Fund.
With the success of the FAW Huddle Powered by Weetabix programme, the FAW partnered with 12 clubs/organisations to deliver FAW Huddle Unite Festivals this summer.
Engaging with over 500 girls, the Huddle Unite Festivals have enabled many participants the opportunity to try football for the first time and enjoy the game through a range of fun and alternative activities!
For the delivery of these festivals, the FAW are proud to have partnered with:
- Roguemont School
- AFC Tenby
- Cardiff City Ladies
- Aura Flintshire
- Colwyn Bay FC
- Talgarth Girls FC
Speaking about the Huddle sessions, Cardiff City Ladies Coach Emma Thompson said: “I didn’t have the option to play when I was that age, so I just love seeing the girls play. It’s always important that they feel welcome so that they can come back for more. It’s been a really good year with girls coming into Huddle and then a large number transitioning into clubs. After coming through the Huddle sessions with us and seeing them still playing feels like a big success. We always want more girls playing and enjoying the game!”
Speaking at Cardiff City LFC Huddle Unite Festival, former Cymru International and FAW Ambassador Helen Ward said: “It was so inspiring to visit the Cardiff City LFC Huddle and witness first-hand young girls getting their first taste of football in this fantastic environment. Hopefully these opportunities will pave the way for girls in Wales to become the next Sophie Ingle.”
Lowri Roberts, Head of Women & Girls’ Football at the FAW said: “It’s so important that we give young girls as many opportunities as we can to play football. It’s all about making football accessible and fun and inspiring those who have never played football before to get involved. The success of Huddle so far has been incredible, but our aim is to get even more girls playing football and further increase the 89% growth of girls’ participation in Wales, that we’ve seen over the past 5 years.”
