Nineteen players have been named in the squad for Cymru’s first ever women’s under-23 (WU23s) training camp, which will take place during the October international window.
The camp will be held at the FAW HQ in Hensol and will be led by Cymru WU19s Head Coach Nia Davies. Her assistant coaches will be former Cymru international Kayleigh Barton, Swansea City Head Coach Yzzy Taylor and the FAW’s National Academi Manager Brad Flay.
It will overlap with the Women’s National Team camp to allow close collaboration between players and staff of both sides, and some players will be involved in both camps.
The squad also includes several players who were part of last season’s WU19 squad but have since graduated from that age group, as well as Faye Knox, who plays for Wrexham in the Genero Adran Premier.
The camp will finish with an uncapped behind-closed-doors match against WSL 2 side Watford at the FAW HQ. The fixture was arranged through former Cymru international Helen Ward, who is Watford’s Head of Women’s & Girls Football.
According to the Football Association of Wales, work has been ongoing behind the scenes for several years to introduce a WU23s side to the player pathway. Several European nations have started WU23 sides despite there being no official UEFA WU23s competition.
The FAW said the new age group will also support Cymru’s Talent ID programme, which looks to identify future talent both in Wales and outside Wales, whether through birth or heritage.
Cymru WU23 squad: Cadi Doran (Kidderminster Harriers, on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers), Hope McSheffrey (Bristol City), Lucy Day (West Bromwich Albion), Shurima Vine (Cheltenham Town), Casi Evans (Cheltenham Town), Charlotte Salisbury-Williams (Cheltenham Town), Amelie Curtis (Cheltenham Town), Nia Lewis (Bristol City, dual signing at Exeter), Elena Cole (Bournemouth), Keira O’Keefe (Cheltenham Town), Ffion Bowen (Leicester City), Lleucu Mathias (Durham), Emily Giddings (Bristol City), Chloe Giddings (Bristol City), Jessie Archibald (Southampton), Faye Knox (Wrexham), Tianna Teisar (Watford), Heidi Hills (Tottenham Hotspur), Cadi Rodgers (Plymouth Argyle).
