Women's football and football for girls in Wales has grown rapidly in the last three years.

The latest figures show a 50% rise in participation since 2016, with 8,600 women and girls now signed-up to football clubs in Wales.

To accelerate this growth further, the Football Association of Wales is expanding their popular Huddle programme to attract more 5 to 12-year-old girls into the game.

Launched last year, Huddle aims to bridge the gap and support the transition between school and club football.

With the focus on fun and friendship, more than 400 girls enjoyed the sessions in 2019. 

FAW Trust CEO Caroline Spanton said: “Research tells us that girls are more likely to be less confident than boys when joining a sports club.

"So Huddle is designed to give girls the opportunity to develop their skills and their confidence in a fun and sociable environment with their friends.

“We’re really pleased with the progress to date and it is a huge testament to the work of coaches, clubs, volunteers, leagues and all our other partners who are providing more and more opportunities for women and girls every year.

"To reach our target, we know we need to do things differently which is why we are taking new approaches.”

As well as the Huddle initiative, the FAW have several programmes in place in order to achieve the ambitious goal of 20,000 registered female players by 2024.

These include McDonald's Fun Football sessions , Rainbows, Brownies and Guides initiatives, as well as a secondary school programme, which will launch in June 2020.

Huddle is a big part of the Penrhyn Bay girls club who have forged a reputation for being one of the country's top places for developing children's interest in the sport.

The sessions take place on Monday evenings from 5.30-6.30pm at the Creuddyn Leisure Centre. It happens weekly with the exception of the school holidays.

For more details about the Huddle programme across Wales please visit the FAW site.