Sport

Pembrokeshire leads Wales in surge of women’s sports interest

Published

1 month ago

October 8, 2025

County tops national table with 301% rise in online searches

NEW research has revealed that Pembrokeshire has seen the biggest increase in online searches for women’s sports in Wales — rising by an impressive 301% over the past year.

The data, compiled by Burgess Hill Girls School using Google search trends, compared figures from August 2024 to August 2025 across the UK. It found a national surge in interest, with searches for women’s sports increasing from 1,076,380 to 4,160,570, representing a 287% rise overall.

England recorded the largest increase of the individual nations at 289%, followed by Wales (280%), Scotland (270%), and Northern Ireland (232%).

Within Wales, Pembrokeshire topped the list, followed by Powys (283%), Vale of Glamorgan (280%), Cardiff (262%), and Monmouth (228%). Cardiff, however, recorded the highest overall number of searches, with 13,520 in August 2025.

Anne Pithie, Director of Marketing and Communications at Burgess Hill Girls School, said the data reflects a positive shift in how girls and young women are engaging with sport.

“Team sports can develop deep bonds as wins and losses are shared, as well as helping to build resilience, co-working and leadership skills,” she said. “But to reap the benefits, girls need to be able to access sports with as much provision and support as boys have traditionally.”

Pithie pointed to the UK Girls School Association’s 2022 report, which found that girls attending its member schools were 30% more likely to play football than those in co-educational schools — a result of greater access to traditionally male-dominated sports.

The rise in interest has been attributed to the ongoing success of women’s leagues worldwide. In the UK, the Lionesses’ back-to-back European championships have inspired new generations of female footballers. Meanwhile, the WNBA in the United States has seen viewership soar by 23%, driven by stars such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, while India’s Women’s Premier League cricket audience more than doubled between 2023 and 2024.

Despite these gains, significant inequalities remain.

“In 2024, the top 15 female athletes worldwide earned $221 million, while Cristiano Ronaldo alone earned $260 million,” Pithie added. “It highlights how far there is still to go in achieving true parity.”

She said that continued investment, visibility and role models are essential to sustaining progress.

“We’ll continue to support our girls however we can — whether they want to compete at a high level or simply enjoy the lifelong benefits of sport.”

📊 Source: Burgess Hill Girls School research (August 2025)

Sport

World Cup qualifiers 2026: How are Wales doing?

Published

1 day ago

November 18, 2025

Staff Writer

THE 2026 World Cup is going to be bigger and better than ever before, with the tournament expanding to accommodate an additional 16 teams this time around, for a total of 48.

This makes qualifying a little more interesting as many more teams have the opportunity to perform on the highest stage. Teams like England were able to secure their place in the competition fairly early, while other groups have been under more pressure to secure top spots – Wales included.

So whether you’re a casual viewer here for the drama, or a dedicated fan watching both on TV and across online betting apps for the best odds, here’s a rundown of how Wales are doing in the World Cup qualifiers.

How are Wales performing?

Wales have been in qualifying Group J, alongside Belgium, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, and Liechtenstein. Despite tough competition, Wales, led by head coach Craig Bellamy, have produced some great performances and have given themselves a reasonable chance of making the finals. This would be their third qualification ever, following on from 2022’s success.

They had a strong start against Kazakhstan, in which they claimed a solid 3-1 victory at home. They then drew 1-1 against North Macedonia thanks to a 96th minute equaliser, and thrashed Liechtenstein 3-0 back in June. The undefeated streak ended with a 4-3 loss to group favourites Belgium in Brussels (and again a loss to Rudi Garcia’s team in Cardiff last month).

With another victory over both Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein under their belts, these results have put Wales in a good position within the group, but they nonetheless face a fight to qualify, being two points behind Belgium, and behind North Macedonia on goal difference.

If Wales win and Belgium lose (as unlikely as that seems), they would qualify for the World Cup automatically as group winners.

Lose or draw and it’s the play-offs for Craig Bellamy’s men. In some senses, there’s less pressure on tonight’s match as Wales have already at least qualified for the play-offs as one of the Uefa Nations League group winners. However, finishing second in the group would give them an easier path to qualification.

Looking ahead to the 2026 play-offs

If Wales miss out on topping the group (which is likely), they will have to settle for a play-off spot, which is a much more challenging route to qualification.

Should they lose or draw tonight, they will have to face a top-seeded team away from home to have a chance at reaching the play-off final. However, should they beat North Macedonia, they will play weaker opposition at home.

Today’s crucial game for Wales

The 2026 qualifiers have and continue to be highly competitive in Europe. Wales are in the mix, having proven that they can challenge, but are sitting very much in between favourites and underdogs.

Tonight’s match is looming, the stakes are high, and anything could happen. A win could put them on the path to automatic qualification if Liechtenstein can overcome the odds, while a draw or loss will force them to rely on the hardest play-off route. Welsh fans will be hoping for a strong performance, as well as a bit of luck.

Sport

South Pembrokeshire Short Mat Bowls: Week eight results and league table

Published

2 days ago

November 17, 2025

Herald Sport

THE SOUTH Pembrokeshire Short Mat Bowls Association – known as the Friendly League – has released the latest results following week eight of the competition.

Last week’s matches saw:

East Williamston 8–2 Cosheston
Kilgetty 7–3 St Twynnells
Reynalton 5–5 St Johns
Llanteg 8–2 Lamphey

The fixture between Hundleton and Carew was postponed, while Badgers had a bye.

Updated league table – Week eight

Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Shot Diff	Points
East Williamston	7	7	0	0	160	62
Reynalton	7	4	1	2	34	40
St Johns	7	3	1	3	-2	35
Cosheston	7	3	0	4	33	33
Badgers	7	3	0	4	-10	33
Llanteg	7	3	0	4	-39	33
Carew	6	3	0	3	-20	30
St Twynnells	7	3	0	4	-45	30
Hundleton	6	3	0	3	-8	29
Lamphey	8	3	0	5	-19	29
Kilgetty	7	3	0	4	-54	26

More fixtures are set to follow as the Friendly League moves into the second half of the season.

Sport

Haverfordwest County Women make it two wins from two in Phase 2

Published

2 days ago

November 17, 2025

Herald Sport

HAVERFORDWEST COUNTY AFC Women continued their strong start to Phase 2 with an impressive 4–2 victory over a determined Morriston Town side on Sunday.

It was a superb all-round performance from the Bluebirds, combining sharp team play with some outstanding individual finishes. Striker Kayla Jones led the way with a well-taken brace, while Ella May Mumford and Tayla Gibbs also got on the scoresheet to secure all three points.

The win makes it back-to-back victories in Division A, further strengthening the squad’s momentum going into the next fixture.

Haverfordwest County now turn their attention to their next home match on Sunday 23rd, when they host Bonymaen Colts Ladies.

Squad: Rhian Jones, Freya Watkins Williams, Erin Frost, Katie Gibbins, Mollie Flanagan, Bethan Chapman, Tayla Gibbs, Ella May Mumford, Emma Smith, Ffion Kirk, Kayla Jones.