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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