Changing the Game - Strategy Launch at the Senedd
Cymru Women’s Sport celebrate an amazing summer of Welsh women’s sport as they launch their strategy at the Senedd
Cymru Women’s Sport (CWS) are coming together with sports stars and Senedd members to celebrate the summer of Welsh women’s sport at the Senedd, today 4 December.
After a successful summer of sports, which included Cymru’s qualification at their first major tournament in the Ewros, Glamorgan Cricket’s first professional women’s side, the Women’s Golf Open at Royal Porthcawl and the Women’s Rugby World Cup being held over the border in England, the nation’s women and girls have so many stars to look up to.
Glamorgan captain Lauren Parfitt, coach and former Wales rugby player Elinor Snowsill and professional golfer Darcey Harry will join CWS to talk about the successes in women’s sport and their reflections on how their sport has grown.
CWS will be launching their first 3 year strategy at the Senedd, which aims to build upon this legacy and ensure that factors hindering women and girls’ participation in sport at grassroots level isn’t forgotten.
Guests will hear from members of the CWS Board, including Professor Leigh Robinson, a former Sport Wales Board Member and current chair of the Central South Sport Partnership about the four key priorities they want the next Welsh Government to support.
These include requiring Local Authorities to ensure streetlights are maintained to support women and girls’ exercising after dark; investment in women and girls’ sport is reported on and transparent; all facilities in Wales have adequate hygiene facilities and sports boards have diverse gender representation and transparency on reporting or finances.
Heledd Fychan, MS for South Wales Central, Plaid Cymru spokesperson for sport and sponsoring MS said:“We know that women and girls are more likely to play less sport and be less active than men and boys.
“I am pleased to see that Cymru Women’s Sport has grown since their inception and in just two years is setting out key priorities for delivering real change for women and girls in Wales. I look forward to seeing how they advocate for better conditions for women’s sport and seeing the amazing summer of sport capitalised on at grassroots and on the world stage.”
Professor Leigh Robinson, Chair of Cymru Women’s Sport said, “I am delighted to be launching our strategic priorities. We’ve worked incredibly hard to get to this point and it’s great to be sharing our ambitions. Our strategy sets out our ambitions to advocate for improvements, connect people around women’s sport and celebrate the great achievements of those on the fields and improving conditions for women and girls in sport.”
Cymru Women’s Sport is seeking key partnerships to ensure they can deliver against their four strategic priorities over the next three years. The event on Thursday has also been supported by Bute Energy, Great Days Golf and Cardiff Metropolitan University.
Simon Pridham, CEO, Great Days Golf, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be working closely with Cymru Women's Sport and also to be a sponsor of this important event. At Great Days Golf we have a very strong inclusive ethos and culture and enjoy working with active partners who share this passion. Our commitment to women and girls’ participation in the game of golf is about to be launched in early 2026 with a Women's Festival Of Golf planned along with fully funded coaching and entrance to the sport sessions, in collaboration with Wales Golf.
“We completely share CWS's commitment to ensuring that we play our part in advancing women, in all roles of sport in Wales. We believe that sport has the power to empower and transform and we strive for a more fair and equitable system of sport, fully inclusive of women and girls. We are a very proud sponsor and partner of this event.”
Catryn Newton, Director of Communications and Investment at Bute Energy said: “At Bute Energy, we support women and girls through investing in grassroots sports acknowledging the important links between sports and STEM. This is a cornerstone of our values and how we work to improve access and opportunities for communities across Cymru. We are pleased to see Cymru Women’s Sport launching their first strategy and fully endorse their core ambitions to change the game for women and girls sport in Wales through improvements to safety, investment, infrastructure and leadership.
Ben O’Connell, Director of Sport at Cardiff Metropolitan University said: “We are proud to partner with Cymru Women’s Sport. As Wales' Sporting University this relationship builds on our strong tradition of supporting young women and girls to achieve both their academic and sporting aspirations. There is clear alignment between the mission of Cymru Women's Sport and our own ArcHER programme and we look forward to continuing to work together to educate, strive for equity and advocate for young women and girls across Wales.”
For more information please email: contact@cymruwomensport
Huge thank you to the beautiful photography by Richard Williams Photography