FAW sets 160,000-player target and knockout ambitions in ten-year plan
Archive article. Published on Mon 26 Oct, 20:07. Conditions may have changed since this reporting.
The Football Association of Wales has set targets for the next decade, including 160,000 registered players by 2036, up from 120,000, and both national teams reaching the knockout stages at a major tournament. The strategy, called Llunio Cymru, runs from 2026 to 2036 and was launched on the FAW website. It says it draws on more than 3,000 contributions from workshops and consultations across Wales. Chief executive Noel Mooney said it is "our commitment to building a confident, successful and inclusive Cymru through football".
The FAW's targets by 2036
- Registered players today
- 120,000
- Registered players target
- 160,000
- Cut in hate and discrimination incidents
- 70%
- Elite academies in professional clubs
- 4
In the community game
At least 20,000 of the extra registered players are to be women and girls. The FAW also wants to halve the number of 12 to 17-year-olds who leave the game, and to run focused projects in the 100 most diverse and deprived communities in Wales. It aims for every community to have quality football facilities within 15 minutes, to cut incidents of hate and discrimination by 70% by 2036, and to put a qualified neutral referee at every competitive match from under-12 level up by 2035. The number of affiliated, qualified coaches is to rise by 30%.
On the pitch
The plan promises four elite academies within professional clubs, and says at least two players a year should graduate from each pathway into the senior men's and women's teams. It sets a target to keep 95% of dual-national players in Wales youth teams. For the senior sides, the FAW wants both to reach 50% of major tournaments and the knockout stage at UEFA EURO 2028 and the 2035 Women's World Cup, with the men in the FIFA top 20 and the women in the top 24.
The domestic leagues
The FAW wants engagement with the national leagues up 150% over five years and the domestic commercial portfolio up 300%. It also aims for the Cymru Premier and Adran Premier to be among Europe's leading leagues for opportunities for young players.
What is not in it
The announcement gives no costings or funding sources for the targets. A separate Women and Girls' plan is due in November. Wales is due to host matches at EURO 2028, the 2029 UEFA Women's Champions League final and the 2035 Women's World Cup.