Gemma Grainger: Euro 2022 popularity can inspire Wales
- Published
There were 87,192 at Wembley for the Euro 2022 final between England and Germany.
National team boss Gemma Grainger believes the success of Euro 2022 can help Wales blaze a trail to their first major tournament finals.
Grainger was among a record crowd watching England beat Germany in the final at Wembley.
She is convinced the "visibility" created by bumper TV audiences can help "fire" her team's World Cup ambitions.
"I think what Sunday has shown is the market and audiences are out there who want to watch this game," she said.
"Now it is for us to look at what we can do in Wales."
England's win over Germany was viewed by a peak BBC One audience of 17.4m, making it the most watched women's football game on UK television.
The Wembley final was watched by a record women's crowd of 87,192.
Wales, currently second behind Group I winners France, are battling with Greece and Slovenia for the runners up spot to earn a place in the play-offs for the World Cup finals in 2023.
Grainger's team travel to play fourth placed Greece on 2 September before hosting third placed Slovenia at the Cardiff City Stadium four days later with ticket sales "seven times" up on previous matches.
"I think the momentum from these Euros has really started to light the fire in Wales, along with the great work the team and the players have done so far," Grainger added.
Grainger worked for the Football Association for 11 years and was one of the England coaches at Euro 2017 before taking the Wales job in March 2021.
Euro 2022 highlights: England 2-1 Germany
She is now focussed on helping to move Wales closer to qualifying for their first World Cup finals, and is convinced the interest in the Euros will only bolster Welsh support.
"I think it is special. The women's game is really starting to show its potential and the way it is going to inspire the next generation," she said.
"For us it is the visibility, not just for England but for Wales and every other nation.
"It was the most watched women's game on UK television. When you are saying that about women's football it is quite unbelievable to think about the growth of the game and where it is right now.
"I don't think you can underestimate the visibility aspect, not just the number of girls and boys watching but also the parents and their perception as well."
Wales midfielder Jess Fishlock said watching the Euro 2022 finals was a "bitter sweet" experience after they failed to qualify but added that she and her team mates were being inspired by the tournament as they look for their own success.
"Jess has been involved in this game for a long time and she really means those words in terms of how we use it," Grainger said.
"Women's football is something we are all ambassadors for and we are all very passionate about.
"For our team, from the day we started this campaign we wanted to respect the people who had come before us and - most importantly - we wanted to qualify for major tournaments, consistently.
"While Wembley was nice, we are very focussed on why we do what we do. Every team has a story and we are right in the middle of our story. We are excited to continue it.
"We have all watched the tournament for our own reasons. We want to make sure we can be the best prepared team we can be, as we write the next stage of our story and be very proud of it."