00:00Now, the rise of the Wales women's national team has been a remarkable journey with steady
00:07progress propelling them onto the international stage. In recent years, they've achieved significant
00:13milestones from improving their World Cup qualifications to consistently competing at
00:18the highest levels of European football. Under the leadership of their dedicated coaching
00:24staff, the team has developed a strong core of talent, bringing experienced players with
00:29rising stars. We spoke about their growth, which has not only elevated the profile of
00:34women's football in Wales, but also inspired future generations of players to follow in
00:39their footsteps.
00:40Looking at the Wales women's national football team, well, they actually got a really good
00:49draw in their most recent outing against Sweden, one of the world's best teams in women's football,
00:54and what it finished there. And obviously, we could talk for ages about the Lionesses
01:00in English football and what they have done for the English women's game. If you look
01:03at the Wales game, yes, it's perhaps not quite as advanced or quite the same stage as England
01:09is, but certainly getting a draw against a team of that calibre stands them in good stead
01:13for the future and to what they can become, because of course, they've seen the men go
01:18from international minnows to a side who are regularly competing to qualify for major
01:24tournaments. And yes, the men's game is different, but it shows it can be done for a nation with
01:29only a small population like Wales do. So looking at that result, obviously in isolation,
01:36it's great, but what does it mean just in general for Welsh women's football?
01:40Yeah, as you say, it's massive. And I think, you know, you compare it to the Lionesses
01:45and their sort of journey to the very, very top of women's football, you know, really
01:51competing at the top. I mean, Wales with the smaller talent pool that it has, they're probably
01:56ahead of the Lionesses if you think about it in that sort of sense. You know, the Lionesses
02:00have so many top WSL teams to choose from, these players they've produced from the likes
02:06of, you know, Arsenal, Man United. These are the real top women's sides. Chelsea as well,
02:12winning so many league titles. In terms of Wales football, it's huge. It's something
02:17that the Welsh FA have sort of rejigged over the last few years to really get the best
02:22out of them. You know, firstly, grassroots and secondly, the women's game. And I think
02:26these are two things that they're really working on getting to the very, very top. As I say,
02:31the confidence, the belief behind her group of girls is unbelievable. You know, she believes
02:36they can compete constantly against the world's best teams. So yes, it's all to be seen in
02:41the summer, you know, at the Euros. But the attitude reflects a real shift in the mindset
02:46of Wales and the Welsh team as well. And you look as far as Craig Bellamy for the men's
02:51team and the sort of confidence he has and the aspects and aspirations he has for his
02:58Wales men's team. So I think as a whole, as a bigger picture, the Welsh FA is really improving.
03:06The confidence, the belief, the ambitions is going up a notch. And it's really exciting
03:12if you're following football in terms of Wales and these players coming into these major
03:17tournaments. So as I say, all to be seen in the summer. Here's what Rhiann Wilkinson had
03:23to say about her side. And as I say, she expresses so much confidence and it's great to see.
03:30So we'll see what she has to say. And, you know, obviously coming into the Euros in the
03:35summer, it's a real promising time to be following Wales.
03:41What people have done in the past and we've got to be appreciative of the position that
03:46we're in now. And we need to keep constantly bashing down those barriers too for those
03:54to come and take our shirts later on. Even we had a meeting yesterday and there's more
03:59staff than there are players. So we've just increased everything off the pitch. We're
04:06equal to the men now and we're equal in many ways, not just equal pay. You know, our media
04:13team and our medical team, everything, our coaching staff, everything off the pitch is
04:21equal to the men's. And we've just improved so many different things along the way, even
04:26in that 10-year gap. And, you know, it's just making it as professional an environment
04:30as possible. And it has helped that the game as a whole is more professional now. And we've
04:37got players coming in who are at a professional level, professional club, day in, day out.
04:42And we know what to expect.
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