"We need a lot more support." Noel Mooney's line to BBC Sport gets straight to the point. The FAW has launched Llunio Cymru, a strategic plan running to 2036, but the message from Wales is not that the work is already covered. It is that the ambition is there, the targets are clear and the money still needs to follow.

The scale of the plan is hard to miss. One key goal is 100 new or upgraded pitches by 2030, with quality facilities within 15 minutes of every community. The FAW also wants to increase registered players by 30%, and it has already spent more than £30million on pitches over the last four years.

The funding ask at the centre of it

Mooney, quoted by bbc.co.uk, said: "We need a lot more support."

That is the heart of this story. Llunio Cymru is not short on targets, but the FAW chief executive is openly saying those targets depend on stronger backing from outside the association.

Speaking to bbc.co.uk, Mooney said: "Thankfully, our resources are increasing - which is good - but we really need more support from Welsh Government and from the 22 local authorities to deliver this."

That feels like a realistic reading of where Welsh football is. Ambition is the easy part in strategy documents. Building enough pitches, improving access and widening participation across the country is where the cost shows up.

Mooney also tied the facilities push directly to the women's game. He told bbc.co.uk: "We're very clear on the growth of the female game that we need facilities for that. We've spent more than £30million over the last four years building pitches all across the country but we've a long, long way to go."

The FAW is at least being honest about the gap between spending to date and what it wants by 2030. More than £30million in four years is significant, but a target of 100 new or upgraded pitches, plus local access within 15 minutes of every community, is a much bigger national job.

The scale of the plan, and the limits around it

Llunio Cymru stretches well beyond park pitches. It is a 2036 plan, and the elite side of it is demanding too. One aim is to return the men's national team to the top 20 of FIFA's world rankings.

Current results show why Mooney is pushing so hard on support. Wales are third in UEFA Nations League League A Group D with 3 points from 4 matches. They have won 1 and lost 3 of their last 4 listed Nations League games, and they have scored 2 goals across those four matches.

Those numbers do not cancel out the long-term plan, but they do strip away any idea that progress at national-team level will come cheaply or quickly. The FAW is trying to build at both ends, more players and better elite performance, and both parts need investment.

There is one area where the public detail still looks messy. Participation figures in the source material appear in malformed form, so the safer route is to stick with the verified target of a 30% increase in registered players rather than pretend the precise baseline totals are settled.

Signals from government and what comes next

Mooney did offer some encouragement on the political side. Speaking to bbc.co.uk, he said: "We've got confidence. We've had a lot of discussions with the new government and they've given us all of the signals that we're going into the right direction."

That stops short of any claim that the whole programme is funded, and it should. The FAW has set out where it wants Welsh football to be by 2036. The harder part is turning support from government and local authorities into enough pitches, enough access and enough development to make the targets realistic.

The public test will keep running alongside the long-term one. Wales' next listed Nations League fixture is away to Norway on 14 November, with Portugal at home to follow on 17 November.

FAQ

Why is Noel Mooney asking for more funding for Welsh football?

Noel Mooney says the FAW cannot deliver its 2036 plan without more support. The strategy includes 100 new or upgraded pitches by 2030, a 30% rise in registered players and wider facility access, while the association has already spent more than £30million on pitches over the last four years.

What is the FAW's Llunio Cymru plan?

Llunio Cymru is the FAW's strategic plan running to 2036. It covers grassroots access, facilities and elite performance, including a target of 100 new or upgraded pitches by 2030 and quality facilities within 15 minutes of every community.

How are Wales performing while the FAW pushes this long-term plan?

Results show why the elite side of the plan still looks demanding. Wales have 3 points from 4 matches in UEFA Nations League League A Group D, have won 1 and lost 3 of their last 4 listed Nations League games, and have scored 2 goals across that run.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →