Wales are facing a fight to hold on to some of their most promising female footballers amid an "increasingly aggressive" battle to secure the international futures of talented youngsters. Wales have already lost rising Manchester United star Layla Drury, the Wrexham-born forward who became the Red Devils' youngest ever female goalscorer in January. Drury, 17, switched allegiances to England earlier this year having previously represented Wales at under-17 level.
The loss of Drury, who has already played eight times for United's first team, was a heavy blow for Wales given her potential and the fact that she was part of the Football Association of Wales' (FAW) development system. The concern for the FAW is that further young Welsh talents could be tempted to switch allegiances, with the pull of a potential Lionesses career regarded as significant. "The market for capturing and retaining talent has become increasingly aggressive," FAW chief football officer David Adams told BBC Sport Wales.
"We must make every effort to protect our assets and retain our top talent to protect the future success of the women's national teams." Since 2020, the FAW has focused attempts to develop young female players - aged between 11 and 16 - on programmes in north and south Wales. As part of the system, a group of 31 players are involved in three training sessions a week and play games in the FAW's National Academi boys' set-up in order to aid their development. There is a further pool of 50 players who compete in Adran Premier academies and train with the FAW's girls' development set-up twice a week, while Wales-qualified girls at English academies are invited to a school holiday regional programme.
The FAW's development programme, which has been awarded Fifa academy status, also focuses on analysis work and strength and conditioning in an attempt to produce future Wales internationals. A high proportion of players involved are either dual-qualified or have multi-national heritage. The fact that many of those players are likely to sign for clubs in England when aged 15 to 16 – with no top-class women's clubs to join in Wales – can be problematic for the FAW.
If players are representing English clubs, they are more likely to come to the attention of those working in England's international pathway. The opportunity to play for England is viewed as appealing for some players because they are one of the women's game's heavyweight sides, having won the Women's Euros twice in a row and reached the Women's World Cup final in 2023. Fishlock out to keep career alive in NWSL play-offs Wales under-23s gather for inaugural women’s camp FAW sets ambitious 10-year plan but seeks more money As well as the increased chance of success on the pitch, playing for the Lionesses can bring significant commercial opportunities for individual players.
Unlike the men's game, where the biggest financial rewards are on offer at club level, the commercial side of playing international football can be a significant pull for some female players because of the far lower salaries paid at women's clubs. Former captain Kath Morgan won 51 caps during a 14-year Wales career and has also coached the national side. She currently coaches Welsh youngsters at Coleg y Cymoedd's full-time female academy and also works as an agent for some players, including new Wales cap Casi Gregson.
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