Wales Women’s performances wilt at Euro 2025 but leave with heads held high

National World - LocalTV

Wales coach Rhian Wilkinson used her team’s painful 6-1 defeat to England to issue a passionate call for more sporting opportunities for girls. Wales crashed out of Euro 2025 after losing all three group games, conceding 13 goals. While Wilkinson praised England’s “thorough and deserved” victory, she underlined the urgent need to build a stronger sporting infrastructure back home.

Transcript

00:00For Wales Woman, their European Championships in Switzerland perhaps didn't go quite to

00:07plan.

00:08It was, of course, their first major tournament as a side, and yet, of course, they ended

00:13up going home with nothing in the end, especially in their final game, losing to England by

00:19six goals to one in what was a tough pill to swallow for them, but how do they assess

00:25this experience?

00:26Is it positive because, of course, they've been to their first major tournament now and

00:29they've got that experience against some elite sides, such as France, the Netherlands and

00:34England?

00:35Or is it a case of actually they should be quite disappointed because, as much as it's

00:39their first experience, they wanted to go there and compete and show what they were about

00:42and show that they perhaps could be even taken as a dark horse, but they haven't done that

00:46at all.

00:47In fact, if anything, they've been battered a little bit in some of the games.

00:50So, how do Wales Woman view this?

00:52Do they view it as a good learning experience, which it may be even if both parts are true,

00:56but actually, is it something of a disappointment and do changes need to be made and are they

01:01lacking some quality?

01:02And if they are, how do they find that or how do they nurture and develop that?

01:07So let's go now to our Wales sport correspondent, Charles Haig-Jones.

01:11Charles, as mentioned there, how do Wales Woman view this?

01:14How will the higher-ups view this at the Welsh FA as well?

01:17Will they see this as just perhaps, you know, it's their first major tournament.

01:20Will cut them a little bit of slack and we'll say, look, it wasn't too embarrassing in the

01:26sense that yes, we've been beaten quite heavily in some games, but actually, we knew that perhaps

01:30that this was coming and overall, it is a learning curve and we'll get better from this experience.

01:34Or do they think, actually, we need to address some real issues here?

01:38Yes, we've got there, but we shouldn't just be content with getting there.

01:41We should actually want more.

01:42What are your views?

01:43Yeah, obviously, it's, you know, a real strange mix of motion sort of situation for Wales women.

01:52I mean, obviously, qualifying to Euro 2025, their first major tournament, as you say, was incredible.

01:59You know, you have to remember that.

02:00And this is Wales fans will never forget.

02:03And I mean, firstly, one thing that they have to really take huge credit for was the support.

02:10It was unbelievable.

02:11I mean, throughout the entire tournament, whether they were losing, whether they had huge pressure

02:17on them, it was incredible.

02:20I mean, you know, 4,000 or so stayed after the first game, after the loss against the

02:26Netherlands, they stayed for X amount of minutes after the full-time whistle and really showed

02:31their support for Wales women.

02:32And that was a massive, massive step in the right direction, in my opinion.

02:36And obviously, incredibly tough group, you know, on the pitch, incredibly tough group.

02:43France, England, Netherlands have all been semifinals, if not better, of World Cups, of Euros.

02:50And clearly, I think the overriding factor of this entire tournament, this entire experience

02:56for Wales, as a women's side, was just shown.

02:59The golfing class in terms of the opportunities that the girls are afforded and the history

03:05behind it.

03:06There's, you know, they are so further behind than these groups, especially England.

03:10And it showed in that 6-1 loss on the final game, which obviously proved to be the final

03:16game in their campaign.

03:17Now, a few things you have to say that there was highlights in adversity.

03:23Jess Fishlock scored Wales' first ever goal in a major tournament.

03:26She's 38, you know, 38 years of age.

03:30It's incredible.

03:32That had a widespread celebration.

03:34That was a massive moment for Wales, for the nation, something they'll never forget.

03:38And the goals sort of signal not just a personal milestone, because she is obviously the highest

03:43appearance and goal maker, but symbolised the team's growth and ambition at the highest

03:48level.

03:48And that was just an incredible moment for Wales' women.

03:52And an on-field performance.

03:53Obviously, they suffered massively, conceded 13 goals.

03:58You know, real disappointing, really, in the end.

04:00But, you know, Rhianne Wilkinson points towards learning curves.

04:04She really said, made a plea.

04:07You know, she sort of came out and pleaded that they need to have better infrastructure,

04:12better support for women's football in Wales.

04:14And, you know, she sort of left that in the press conference feeling really driven.

04:19You thought, you know, she may be on to something here and really wants to make a difference in

04:24the country she manages in.

04:26But the overriding factor for this Wales women group is that, you know, it's going to be a

04:32really positive future for them.

04:34And they can hopefully make the right steps towards, you know, getting the right facilities,

04:38the right pathways into grassroots football for these girls.

04:41And come back even stronger.

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