Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Economy – in the Senedd at 1:41 pm on 15 June 2022.
Well, I think Noel Mooney has been very impressive on a number of fronts, particularly with his communication within the game and externally as well, on how the FAW expects to use its resource, in terms of people, its image, its ability to lead conversations as well as participate in them, and not just in terms of the future of the men's game in Wales, but I'm really impressed with his direction and leadership on recognising the importance of the role of football for women and girls—the fastest growth sector for the sport—and I regularly discuss it with him when we meet. And I think, actually, they've also been very clear about the fact that they receive money directly from the UK Government in an area that is transparently devolved, but the way they went about that was that they wanted to be clear they wanted to maintain relationships with the rest of the sporting community within the UK and, indeed, here in Wales as well. So, they've looked to be genuinely balanced and not to have a different approach from our ambitions to see further investment in high-quality grass-roots sporting facilities, and actually he's made the point repeatedly that, for the growth of the game for boys, and girls in particular, there needs to be investment in those facilities. So, we do look forward to seeing how that money will be used.
But the broader point that came from the starting question is about the game itself and the wider opportunity to invest in Wales. And, actually, I had the pleasure of being in Bordeaux in the Euro finals, and it wasn't just a fantastic game of football, but I can honestly say that the way our team behaved on the pitch, the way that our fans behaved in and outside the ground, was a real credit to Wales as well. And so, actually, the behaviour of our fans is one of the things that I highlighted in my recent visit to Qatar—about the high expectations we have for the way that fans will behave and the opportunities we have to project Wales on the wider stage, not just on the field of sporting glory.