World Cup qualification brings £4m boost for Welsh grassroots football
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Gareth Bale's deflected free-kick gave Wales victory over Ukraine in their World Cup play-off final earlier this month
An expected £4m profit from Wales' qualification for the Qatar World Cup will be invested in grassroots football by the nation's governing body.
The Football Association of Wales (FAW) says its vision is to create "a leading football nation".
FAW chief executive Noel Mooney described current grassroots facilities across Wales as "particularly poor".
"Our key strategic objective is to tackle this now," said Mooney.
"We want to build grassroots clubs across Wales that act as wellness spaces for the community and to drive the Welsh football movement forward through health, culture, music, language, sustainability, equality, diversity and inclusion.
"We cannot do this without significant support from Welsh government, local authorities and DCMS [UK government's Department of Culture, Media and Sport] but today we demonstrate our complete commitment to addressing the chronic issues in Wales' grassroots football facilities to enable girls and boys to play football in decent conditions."
Mooney also echoed the FAW's overall aims of Welsh football being "inclusive, accessible and successful - from park football to the world stage - a global, local Wales".
He has previously described lower-tier facilities in Wales as "Third World" and "horrifying" with £300m of investment needed for approaching 1,000 local clubs.
Wales qualified for the November tournament in Qatar thanks to their play-off final win over Ukraine in June 2022, a victory which ended the country's 64-year wait for a World Cup appearance.
Captain Gareth Bale, whose deflected free-kick proved decisive against Ukraine, has backed the fresh investment, saying: "We are delighted that qualifying for the World Cup also means that grassroots clubs across Wales will benefit as the FAW support the development of inspirational, fit-for-purpose facilities."
FAW president Steve Williams said: "We have a once-in-a-generation chance to improve the health and wellbeing of the nation both on and off the pitch by partnering with our members and stakeholders to promote, develop and care for the people who will want to take part in sport as a direct result of Wales playing at its first World Cup since 1958.
"Improvement in our grassroots facilities is crucial to this so that football and other sports can continue to be successful in the future. We don't want to wait another 64 years for a Wales appearance at the World Cup."
Clubs apply for grants through the FAW Grassroots Facilities Fund, which is supported by the Welsh and UK governments as well as Sport Wales and international governing bodies Fifa and Uefa.
During the first phase, £3.2m was awarded to 48 projects across Wales, with the average grant being £63,000.
The FAW said: "Over the summer and early autumn, the FAW will announce the next rounds of funding for grassroots football and will set out how organisations can apply."
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