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FAW sets out new aims and says it needs more money

FAW sets out ambition 10-year plan but says it needs more money

The FAW last set out targets in 2021. Qualification for the 2022 men's World Cup and the 2025 women's Euros were two key goals ticked.

They also hit goals for increasing the number of people playing the sport, with the registered players count rising from 80,000 to 120,000.

The FAW now want that number to grow to 160,000, including doubling the number of registered women and girls to 40,000.

They believe increasing playing numbers will help the top level while also boosting the nation's health – with the need for more facilities key.

Projects in the 100 most deprived and diverse communities will be a priority, as well as a 50% increase in priority pitch access for women and girls.

A specific strategy for the women and girls' game will be launched next month, and it will include doubling the money invested.

Delivering the facilities needed by local authority areas would cost an estimated £150m, according to a recent review.

Mooney says increased revenues from Fifa after the 2026 World Cup, and the planned windfall from staging Euro 2028, has helped the FAW nudge towards revenues of £50m.

But he hopes the forthcoming Welsh government budget – the first since Plaid Cymru's election success earlier this year – will bring increased investment in capital projects.

The FAW has secured UK government funding for some of its plans, but Mooney believes the Welsh government must now do more, describing the current £13m in capital expenditure as "a scratch on the surface of what we need to get to".

"We've got confidence. We've had a lot of discussions with the new government and they've given us all of the signals that we're going in the right direction," he added.

Mooney says football's place in preventative health was key, and noted that allocating greater resources was "a no-brainer".

Other key aims include ensuring every match above under-12 level has a qualified, neutral referee, halving teenage drop-out rates, increasing the number of qualified coaches by a third and lifting average Cymru Premier attendances above 1,000.

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