Lionesses legend believes Wales' Euros debut can inspire women's football boom over the border

Former England star Anita Asante believes everyone in Wales can be inspired by the performances and progression of the Cymru at the Euros this summer, even Lionesses fans.

Wales are making their tournament debut in Switzerland and face their neighbours England on Sunday July 13th. And just like the Lionesses Euros win in 2022 helped women’s football across the UK explode, so too can Cymru’s major championships bow in Wales.

“Any player across the UK can take a lot of inspiration from the Welsh players and the English players,” she said. "Their stories are interconnected, a lot of us have experienced similar journeys and that is what it is all about.

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“Wales is in a different period of time in terms of their development and growth overall within the game, but they have broken that first kind of challenge to get to a first major tournament which is probably the hardest step.

“Now they have done that, they have got the foundations in place, it is now how can they push on again. Lots of young players will be familiar with the likes of Jess Fishlock, Hayley Ladd, Sophie Ingle and Ffion Morgan because they have played for WSL clubs.

“They are players they have naturally gravitated towards anyway because they love their character, their style, their personality, which goes along way into impacting young girls.”

Having represented England 71 times, Asante now lives in Wales, and her daughter is half Welsh, although she jokingly admitted she may need to cross back over the border when England play her adopted country.

The former defender was speaking at the training base of Gwalia United, a Welsh club playing in the English system who have benefitted from £20,000 of National Lottery funding from Sport Wales.

The Football Association of Wales has also received significant National Lottery support from Sport Wales for their grassroots women’s and girls' football programmes.

Over £300,000 of National Lottery funds was invested into FAW projects and initiatives in the 2024/25 season, with the FAW able to double its investment in women’s and girls’ football with National Lottery support. Additional National Lottery funding from Sport Wales includes £750,000 for the development of the National Football Centre in Cardiff and £250,000 for the Elite Centre in Wrexham (Colliers Park).

And Gwalia United player Cori Williams-Morris hopes the investment will only continue as Wales gain tournament experience and England push for more trophies.

She added: “From a Welsh point of view it is the grassroots side of it. The more investment for Wales getting to a tournament will only better the younger teams of Gwalia which over time will help the first team.

“We are a bit of a mix being a Welsh club playing in the English system. With both Wales and England being there is the best of both worlds for us. We get the support from the FAW but also get the benefits of playing in an English league and the money and the funding that come from England doing well in major tournaments as well.”

To support the legacy of the women's Euros 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 that runs from the 5 th of July until 13 July that highlights the power of football and aims to inspire women and girls across Wales to get involved.

The National Lottery's ongoing investment—with players raising £30 million weekly for good causes throughout the UK—ensures that Wales's Euro 2025 debut is just the beginning of the story.

Thanks to National Lottery players, over £6bn has been invested in grassroots sport over the last 30 years, helping the FAW double its investment in women’s and girls’ 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’s first ever major tournament qualification at this summer’s 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