Ynys Môn girl is among former Cymru women players to receive official caps tomorrow

A special ceremony awarding official caps to all the women who played for Wales between 1973 and 1993 will be held tomorrow (Friday).

They will include Gail Paterson-Manning of Ynys Môn, who as Gail Manning in the 1990s and 2000s was one of the stars of Liverpool and Bangor City, where she won the Welsh Cup.

Gail, 48, who was also capped for Wales, was still playing until recently for Amlwch Town and Trearddur Bay.

She was amazed when Grassroots North Wales contacted her to let her know of the search for ex-internationals and was overjoyed to receive an invitation from the FAW to attend Friday’s event.

“This is a dream come true,” she said.

Ninety-four women represented their country during that 1973-93 period, but as the teams weren’t affiliated to the Football Association of Wales (FAW), the players didn’t receive Welsh caps.

Friday’s event, hosted by S4C and the Football Association of Wales (FAW), will be held at St Fagans Museum of Welsh History in Cardiff, and will coincide with a documentary telling the story of women’s football in Wales for the first time, Yr Hawl i Chwarae (The Right to Play). The documentary will be broadcast on S4C platforms on 22 October.

As well as the ceremony, the event will include a screening of parts of the documentary, and two panel discussions hosted by Catrin Heledd.

The first panel will look back at the history of the women’s game in Wales. For this, Catrin will be joined by former player Michele Adams; Former Head of Women and Girls’ football at the FAW, Lowri Roberts and Hawl i Chwarae documentary presenter, Ffion Eluned Owen.

The second panel will look to the future of the game in Wales and will include Cymru U19 Head Coach Nia Davies; FAW Senior Women & Girls’ Grassroots Manager Beth Woolley; and Deputy Chair of the UEFA Women’s Football Committee and former player, Laura McAllister.

This discussion will also look at the FAW’s work on its women’s and girls’ football strategy, ‘Our Wales: For Her’.

The evening will be broadcast live, online on the FAW’s social media platforms and its streaming website, RedWall+.

FAW CEO Noel Mooney from the Football Association of Wales said. “After working hard over the last 18 months collecting contact information about the former players from the 70s and 80s, the evening will be a very special one to celebrate the women who started the story of our national team.

“Over 40 former players will receive their caps as part of the celebrations, and for those who can’t attend, caps will be sent out as far as Canada and Australia where some of our former players are now living.”

If you have contact details for a player or family member of those listed below, please contact press@faw.cymru.

Missing player list

Pat Griffiths, Linda James, Ann Rice, Julie Yale, June Houldey, Barbara Jones, Christine Ross, Karen Atkins, Jean McCarthy, Wendy Wood, Jacqueline Butt, Nikki Groves, Suzy Faul, Jill Anson, Chris Coyle, Gill Bellis, Paula Cleeve, Val Williams, G Day, Delyth Wyn Jones, Jackie Weir (nee Jones), Annette Jones, T Heaton, Caroline Brunt.