Welsh fans charity supports Dublin girls team as Celtic rivals set to do battle

While Wales fans will be cheering on their women’s team over the coming week as they take on Ireland for a place in the European Championship finals next year, the Welsh supporters’ charity Gôl Cymru! is rising above the rivalry on the pitch to support a girls team in Dublin.

Gôl raises money for children’s charities every time Wales play an international match, home and away. Since the first visit in Azerbaijan in 2002 it has worked in more than 50 countries from China to Albania to the USA. During this year the fans have visited a children’s home in Montenegro, supported play sessions for seriously ill children in Iceland and helped families of children with cancer in Turkey.

For their visit across the Irish Sea, the Red Wall fans will be supporting East Wall Bessborough Football Club and community organisation, a club based in Dublin’s north inner city, by sponsoring the girls under 10 team’s kit.

Commitment

East Wall Bessborough was close to going under a few years ago but thanks to the hard work and commitment of the community they are now a thriving club who are building their women’s section. Their motto is ‘Together We’re Stronger’ similar to the Football Association of Wales’s #TogetherStronger.

The young footballers who’ll wear the Gôl Cymru! kit are the East Wall Bessborough’s first girls team, as the club looks forward to opening a girls academy in 2025.

Paul Flynn, Head of Girls Development, East Wall Bessborough FC said: “This partnership with Gôl Cymru! will enable East Wall Bessborough to further expand its policy of promoting and setting up opportunities for young girls to play football both within our fledgling club and in the wider community. Girls football can only flourish if clubs work in partnership to create a fun and learning environment.”

Elin Thomas from Gôl Cymru! added: “We are really pleased to be able to support the East Wall Bessborough’s girls. This is the first time we have made a donation around a women’s game. Best of luck to both teams and whoever qualifies for the finals in Switzerland, this should be an amazing night for women’s football.”

Ahead of the first leg of the Euro 2025 play-off final at the Cardiff City Stadium, Wales manager Rhian Wilkinson said Wales have nothing to fear in trying to reach a major tournament for the first time.

Wales welcome the Republic of Ireland to Cardiff on Friday, with Dublin’s Aviva Stadium hosting the return leg on Tuesday.

European Championship finals

The winners will progress to the European Championship finals in Switzerland next summer.

The Republic broke new ground by qualifying for the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, while Wales are still waiting to play at a major tournament having suffered play-off despair to miss out on those finals.

Wales boss Wilkinson said: “We’ve never done it before and we’ve got nothing to be fearful of. We have nothing to protect.

“When you haven’t done something before you always have that challenge to be the first. This is the attitude we have.

“Ireland have been there before and they’ll potentially have that fear of not going again.

“We have two incredible challenges ahead of us, but these are the games that are meaningful and have pressure on them – and that’s a privilege.”

The Republic, ranked 24 in the world and five places higher than Wales, thrashed Georgia 9-0 on aggregate to coast through their play-off semi-final.

Slovakia 

Wales needed extra time before overcoming Slovakia 3-2 on aggregate but did beat the Republic 2-0 in a February friendly.

“Obviously that helps,” said Wilkinson, who was watching in Dublin that night just hours after being appointed as Wales head coach.

“Winning is always going to breed confidence and success and positivity.

“But that team is not the same and we are not the same as we were in February, so it’s a brand new challenge.

“We know they are absolutely beatable because of the game in February, but equally we’ll have to be better than we were then to beat them again.”

Wales’ most-capped player and record goalscorer Jess Fishlock has not played since the Slovakia victory a month ago, but Wilkinson says the Seattle Reign veteran is “fully fit” and will start at Cardiff City Stadium.

There is still time to secure your seat for the big game. You can be a record breaker too – join the rest of the Red Wall with over 16,000 tickets already sold.

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