Ingle, 33, who recently left Chelsea after 214 appearances, is continuing her comeback from the ACL injury she suffered back in September in the hope of making it to Switzerland.
“It’s always so important to look back and thank those people because if it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be in the position we are now,” she adds. “We are still having to break down certain barriers, but what they did allowed us to be here now.
“It wasn’t a dream to play for Wales when I was young, because I didn’t know they existed. They weren’t on TV like they are today. I played for Dinas Powys Ladies [a club south-west of Cardiff], and then I joined Cardiff, and from there, I went into the Wales team as most of the national team were at Cardiff. I made my debut in 2007 in Azerbaijan, in front of about 20 people. I played left back, even though I’d never played there before. I think I was the only player who could use their left foot. I was quite shy, a little scared of the older players, but I felt better once on the pitch.”
All the while, the players challenged the FAW to improve their hand. Their kit was hand-me-down shirts from the men’s team, all baggy extra-large clothing.
“This was the norm, we didn’t know any different,” Ingle says. “You were still so grateful, it’d be like ‘wow, I’ve got a Wales kit.’ It’d be huge on you, but you got to take it home.”
The day the women’s team finally got their names on the back of their shirts was a big day.
Structure and professionalism
“Qualifying for the Euros has been the best thing possible for my rehabilitation,” Ingle says. “I’ve had a focus in the gym every day.”
Wilkinson has been a driving force behind Wales’ run — Ingle says: “We know we’re going to score. We’re going to be defensively solid, we can hit teams on the counter attack, and we have space to take risks and shine as well” — but the squad’s strength in depth, and how talented younger players are blending with veterans such as Fishlock, Angharad James-Turner, Hayley Ladd and Ingle, has also been key.
“There’s a lot more confidence in the players and I think the squad depth and the use of the squad has been a huge shift,” Ward says. “When I played, you pretty much knew what the starting XI would be. But the younger players are no longer making up the numbers, they’re making the difference. Players like Carrie Jones or others, like [18-year-old defender] Mayzee Davies — she may not start at the Euros but she’s been great and has held her own against the world’s best. She’s always going to have that in her locker.”
Essential to Wales’ long-term success is inspiring the next generation, and both Ward and Ingle have seen increased interest in the women’s team over the past few years. “We’ve gone from playing at Neath, Barry Town and Bangor City, but I think we’ve outgrown those venues now,” Ward says. “We’re now playing at the big three of Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham.”
And, ahead of the summer, the team is doing its part to inspire the country. On June 1, Wales funded a festival called “Ein Dathliad” (For Her) in Pontypridd, where 400 or so girls played some casual football and met the team — which ran alongside the annual South Wales Women & Girls League tournament. “We’re always trying to push the foundation for more,” Ward says. “One of the big things is having safe spaces for young girls to play football.”
Yet to reach their peak
With the trip to Switzerland less than a month away now, Ingle is still hopeful of being fit and dreaming of the chance to finally play in a major tournament.
“I think we’re playing with more freedom now,” Ingle says. “We’ve got that pressure off our shoulders of qualifying, and you’re seeing it now in our 1-1 draws with Sweden this year. I think we’re playing with more positivity and we know we can score and get results against the big teams. For me, yes it’s a tight time frame, but let’s give it everything.”
Meanwhile, Ward wants Wales to emulate the men’s Euro 2016 team and make a deep run into the knockout stages.
“I think the impact could be massive,” she says. “We saw the impact Wales’ men had in 2016 in the Gareth Bale tournament. Since then, we’ve been trying to emulate what they did. You feel the buzz in Wales, people coming up to you, telling you how excited they are to see the girls play. I know we are going to put on a show, and give everything.
“Hopefully, it’ll have a similar impact when they’re coming home as heroes, and all the little girls and boys have new superstars to look up to.”
But Wales haven’t yet peaked. While playing in a major tournament remained out of reach for so long, the team believe Euro 2025 will be just the start of their experience of major tournaments.
“Qualifying for a major tournament is no longer Everest anymore,” Ward says. “This will be the peak for some players’ careers and their Everest, but we are still on the way up. I like to think this is more like Everest base camp. We’ve still got World Cups and Euros to come, which is so exciting to think about.”
