Soccer-Wales coach Wilkinson issues plea for better opportunities after Euro 2025 exit

The Star

11 hours ago

Soccer Football - UEFA Women's Euro 2025 - Group D - England v Wales - Arena St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland - July 13, 2025 Wales manager Rhian Wilkinson reacts REUTERS/Annegret Hilse
ST. GALLEN, Switzerland (Reuters) -Wales coach Rhian Wilkinson issued a passionate plea for more sports opportunities for girls and women after their 6-1 thrashing by England on Sunday laid bare the vast difference in experience and opportunities between the neighbouring nations.
Wales crashed out of Euro 2025 with their lopsided loss against the defending champions, losing their three group games by a combined 13-2.
"It gives me the opportunity to put out a call to action," Wilkinson said. "What I would say first is that there are no excuses. This is absolutely a thorough and deserved win by England and by their coaching staff and how they were set up and some of their movements were fantastic.
"The next stage is that I need to get back to Wales, and I need to keep making sure that across our country, we continue to push opportunity for our young girls for all sport."
Wilkinson spoke about how, after England's Euro 2022 victory, Lionesses defender Lotte Wubben-Moy spearheaded a campaign with an open letter from the team to the government demanding equal access to school football for girls.
The campaign was largely deemed a success with the UK government implementing measures to ensure girls have the same opportunities at school as boys.
"This is a time in the world with a lot happening, I'm a football manager, I can't speak too much, but I will say that giving equal opportunity to our young girls has got to be something that we continue to push for," Wilkinson said.
The coach pointed to a huge gap in playing opportunities between countries, comparing Wales' situation to her own experience of growing up in Canada but having to go to the U.S. to develop as a player.
"We get them on a FIFA window for 10 days," she said. "My players have to be playing. I have five players out of contract here, it is mind blowing to me. Esther Morgan starts all of our games and she doesn't have a club. It drives me wild. I've got to try and find them opportunities abroad."
Her team etched several firsts into the Welsh history books in Switzerland. Jess Fishlock scored their first goal in a major tournament in a 4-1 loss to France, while Hannah Cain became the first Welsh woman to score against England in 45 years.
While five fans famously travelled to see Wales play a World Cup qualifier in 2021, thousands flocked to Euro 2025. Wales sold out their 2,400 ticket allocation for Sunday's game, although the estimated number of Welsh fans in attendance was much more.
While her team made history over the past week and a half, the pain was still fresh after Sunday's game to appreciate their historic feat, Wilkinson said.
"When you just come off a pitch from a game like that, it's not time for the bigger picture yet," she said. "We took our first step, we dipped our toes into the water, and we want more of it."
(Reporting by Lori Ewing)