COLEG Meirion-Dwyfor students Cadi Rodgers and Mared Griffiths trained with the Cymru squad for the recent qualifiers against Croatia and Kosovo.

Rhian Wilkinson’s side won 3-0 in Croatia and beat Kosovo 2-0 to top their group and secure a seeded place in the play-off qualifiers for next year’s European Championship.

Cadi and Mared are regulars for Cymru under-17s, and were called up to the full squad for the huge double-header.

The Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor students did not feature in the games, but gained invaluable experience of training with senior stars such as Sophie Ingle and all-time record goalscorer Jess Fishlock.

In a video shared by the Football Association of Wales, winger Mared, from Trawsfynydd, said: “It’s been an experience and a half playing with players of that quality and it’s really important that we learn from those players and develop together.”

Defender Cadi said mixing with the senior players had reaffirmed her ambitions within the game.

“I’ve enjoyed everything here,” said Cadi. “I’m learning from big players so it’s a great experience.”

“It would be a dream for me to be able to play professionally. You hear from all these players how much they enjoy it, so it would be great to do the same.”

Cadi has just completed her first year of AS Levels in Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology at Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor’s Dolgellau campus. Mared is halfway through her Level 3 BTEC in Business, also at Dolgellau.

Both students play for the FAW Girls Academy North, and are among a group of young Cymru players who have progressed together through the age groups.

Mared said: “We’ve been together through the age groups from the U15s to now, so I feel that we’ve all built a good friendship together. As we progress into the senior team, those friendships will help us be better on the pitch.”

After winning Qualifying Group B4, Cymru’s women’s team have earned the chance to qualify for their first ever major tournament.

Cymru will take on Slovakia in Round 1 of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 play-offs following the draw at UEFA Headquarters in Switzerland on Friday afternoon.

Rhian Wilkinson’s side topped Group B4 in the first stage of qualifying with an undefeated campaign, scoring 18 goals in six games, and confidence will be high as they prepare for the next challenge starting with an away match in Slovakia on Friday, 25 October.

The return match will then take place at the Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday, 29 October and the winners of the tie will then progress to Round 2 and play either Georgia or the Republic of Ireland in November and December for a place at the 2025 finals that will take place in Switzerland.

“We have four more games, hopefully,” said Wilkinson following the draw

“We have to get through the first round and then the next round with two more. It is a marathon. People forget I had two weeks before our first qualifying games just working for results and now what I’m loving is seeing the team start to express themselves.

The real freedom on the field, knowing that we’ve got to be better every single game. We’ve got to be better because we’re hoping to make history.”