Football: Rhian Wilkinson says Wales can 'get over final hurdle' to reach first major tournament

Newly appointed Wales head coach Rhian Wilkinson has said her main priority is helping the players "get over the final hurdle" as they target qualification for a first major tournament.

Wilkinson was given the job earlier this week, following the departure of Gemma Grainger last month.

Qualifying is a feat Wales' women are yet to achieve, although they have come close previously.

However, with more than 183 caps for Canada, as well as appearances at four World Cups and three Olympic Games during an illustrious playing career, Wilkinson thinks she is the right woman to change that.

Rhian Wilkinson poses with a Wales shirt after being appointed head coach last month. Credit: Football Association of Wales

She said: "I have had a lot of experience and I'm hoping to bring some of that knowledge I gained to this Welsh team."

Something which will help is her already strong knowledge of Wales, having spent part of her childhood in the country and having family here going back several generations.

She joked: "It's nice to be in a country where people can pronounce my name."

Wilkinson, whose mother is Welsh, added her parents "took a sabbatical" which saw her go to school in south Wales for more than a year growing up.

Explaining her deep roots she said: "My grandparents lived in Cowbridge after they moved from Llantwit.

"I have a cousin in Gabalfa, Cardiff, and I have another one in Penarth with my aunt and uncle, so a lot of my family is here."

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Wales have demonstrated their potential, almost qualifying for last year's Women's World Cup, missing out as they lost in the play-off final.

There will be another opportunity to qualify for a major tournament shortly, with Wales kicking off their qualifying campaign for Euro 2025 in April. The team will find out their opponents when the groups are drawn on Tuesday 5 March.

It provides another chance, but also a challenge for the new manager.

Talking to ITV Wales, Wilkinson said: "The biggest challenge here in Wales is probably a short window before the first qualification game and [going] right into a qualification year. The draw is on the fifth [of March] and then I will have, I think, 24 days before camp begins and then I have three days on the grass with the players before our first game."

Wales beat the Republic of Ireland in February. Credit: PA Images

However, she has faith, saying: "I'm coming into a team that is clearly on a mission and knows what it wants to achieve and they're ready to do it."

The former Canada international acknowledged the impact qualifying for a major tournament can have on the women's game, citing England as an example following their World Cup success.

She said: "When a team qualifies for a major tournament it's often the catalyst for major change in terms of growth, and I think we're right there here in Wales. We do have more opportunities for girls and women in Wales but we need more."

She added: "I think that investment often comes with major tournament success and qualification has to be our first step in that, but hopefully we can build it as well alongside that. It doesn't always have to take a major tournament to get that going."

Rhian Wilkinson comes into the job after Gemma Grainger (pictured) resigned with immediate effect last month. Credit: PA Images

Wilkinson, who has previously been assistant manager for England amongst others, would not be drawn on what her initial starting 11 would be but said she felt encouraged by the way the team played against the Republic of Ireland in a 2-0 win away from home on Tuesday.

Wales have been on the brink of major tournament qualification very recently and Wilkinson thinks her team are on the brink of being a generation which produces a change in the way the woman's game is supported in Wales.

Talking about her message to the public, she told ITV Wales: "It's not about me, it's about these women, and it's about the women that came before them and the women that will come after them.

"The game is only going to grow, it's only going to get bigger, so be a part of building it here in Wales because this is right at the beginning, the starting line of something huge."

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