Wales considering U23s team to 'bridge significant gap'

The Football Association of Wales (FAW) is looking at introducing a women's under-23s team in a bid to "bridge a significant" gap in international football.

The current pathway sees players jump from the under-19s to the senior side, but work has been ongoing for several years to introduce the new age-grade.

Several nations are already leading the way, including England and Scotland.

The FAW has previously come under criticism for the "unacceptable gap" in the women's pathway, with the Welsh Government sent a petition earlier this year.

The association hopes an under-23s side will help identify new future talent and provide a more seamless transition.

"Our goal is to graduate two players per year into the women's national team in order to bridge the significant gap between women's under-19s and seniors and recognise talent across the system," said the FAW's chief football officer David Adams.

The first training camp will be held at the FAW's headquarters in Hensol in October, headed up by Wales under-19s head coach Nia Davies.

It will purposely overlap with senior camp to allow players and staff to work closely together.

"The women's under-23s camp will ensure that several high potential players across the pathway benefit from further monitoring and international exposure to aid their future development," added Adams.

A review will then take place after the international window to explore future opportunities for the new set up.