Jack Sargeant, Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership
Tomorrow, Cymru Women's football team will play their opening game of the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 tournament against the Netherlands. On behalf of the Welsh Government and the nation, I would like to send my very best wishes to the team.
The First Minister is attending tomorrow’s game in Lucerne and I will be there to support the team when I attend the game against England next weekend, on Sunday 13 July.
As the players take to the pitch in all their games, they will do so with our full support behind them. The encouragement from supporters, families, and friends will serve as a source of strength and motivation as they compete in the competition.
We will also have a motivated and well supported team off the pitch. Using the platform of the Cymru women’s team and our £1m investment through the Euro 2025 Partner Support Fund, we and our partners will show the world a vibrant sporting and cultural celebration across Wales and in Switzerland.
As Welsh footballing heroes Jess Fishlock, Sophie Ingle and Angharad James showcase their skills on the pitch, off the pitch, artists including Aleighcia Scott, Adwaith and DJ Molly Palmer will star in a cultural programme highlighting our language, music, creativity and values of equality and inclusion.
Audiences in the Swiss cities of Lucerne and St Gallen will experience a range of cultural activity including live performances from bilingual musical acts. On the Swiss streets, #FelMerchGwerin, a collective of six young Welsh women, dancers and folk musicians from the Urdd will present a bold reimagining of Welsh tradition. Literature Wales has commissioned poet Sarah McCreadie to document the history-making efforts of the Wales team and values of supporters as it happens in Switzerland.
The cultural programme will sit alongside fan events, international supporter matches, and initiatives such as Merched yn Gwneud Miwsig and an Ashoka Young Ambassador Hackathon exploring equality and inclusion in sport. Cross-cultural collaborations will also be a key theme, with joint programming alongside Swiss and Dutch creatives.
The 16-team tournament in Switzerland is the first to have a human rights declaration, and a host of partners from Wales led by Wales Arts International have signed a values statement in response, acting as a movement for justice, equality, and empowering women through sport, culture and leadership.
Back in Wales, the projects include screening events, football engagement activities for young people, training and support packages for female coaches and referees and cultural celebrations. They also include some unique projects such as Europe’s first female footballer-dedicated pitch mural inspired by Jess Fishlock in Splott, Cardiff, by Wales Arts International, football tournaments for women who’ve experienced homelessness or addiction, and a short film about the sisters who’ve become Wales’s first female Muslim referees and coaches.
All these activities and more can be found in a UEFA Euro 2025 Calendar of Events available online here.