Football Association of Wales approves far reaching changes aimed at improving grassroots football

The Football Association of Wales (FAW) has approved significant changes to its area associations, aimed at promoting diversity and sustainability while investing in grassroots football.

The independent Area Association Review’s recommendations were approved in a full meeting of the board at the FAW Collier’s Park in Wrexham, building on the 80 recommendations from the “Sustainable Association For The Future” report adopted by the FAW in 2021.

There are 30 recommendations in total and the the aim is to deliver these within the next 18 months. Key recommendations of the review include:

• Appropriately resourced regional structures that meet the needs of all grassroots football competition across Wales.
• Modern, diverse and well-governed Associations with the creation of skills-based boards that are diverse, relevant and effective with improved decision making.
• A full time General Manager in each Association with a formal link to the core FAW grassroots team who lead on football development.
• Dedicated grassroots support.

FAW Chief Executive, Noel Mooney, said: “Investment in our grassroots and ensuring that football in Cymru is fit for the future are the key focus of our ‘Ein Cymru’ strategy.”

“The far-reaching changes that have now been approved by the board are a clear demonstration of the FAW’s commitment to building a diverse, skilled and welcoming football family that promotes excellence, integrity, inclusivity and fair play.”

“The important investment in a full time General Manager for each of the Area Associations shows that we are serious in our intention to support clubs across Cymru at the grassroots level.  In addition to the General Manager positions, the FAW is also investing in the core team staff to support grassroots clubs.”