Rhian Wilkinson has found a home in South Wales, from where the Canadian coach is helping put the Welsh women on the soccer map.
Under Wilkinson, 30th-ranked Wales has qualified for the Women's Euro 2025, its first major tournament after several close misses.
Wales booked its ticket to the 16-team European championship, which runs July 2-27 in Switzerland, with a 3-2 aggregate victory over No. 25 Ireland in a two-legged playoff, drawing 1-1 Oct. 29 in Cardiff and winning 2-1 Dec. 3 in Dublin.
"It's been a fun start. An exciting one," said Wilkinson who took charge of the Welsh women last February on a contract through 2027.
In topping a qualifying group that also featured Croatia, Ukraine and Kosovo, at 3-0-2, Wales moved on to the Euro qualifying playoffs — also gaining promotion to League A of the UEFA Nations League.
Wales has tough opposition in Group D at the European championship in defending champion and fourth-ranked England, the 10th-ranked Netherlands and No. 11 France.
Wilkinson succeeded Gemma Grainger who left to coach Norway. Grainger's surprise departure came one year after signing a four-year contact extension with Wales.
A Canada Soccer Hall of Famer, Wilkinson won 181 caps for Canada in a distinguished playing career that stretched from 2003 to 2017. The defender went on to coach the Canadian under-18 and under-20 teams, served as an assistant coach to Kenneth Heiner-Moller with the senior women's team and was an assistant coach with England's Lionesses.
The 42-year-old from Baie-D'Urfe, Que., coached Portland to the 2022 NWSL title, stepping down five weeks later.
Wilkinson acknowledged she and one of her players had shared feelings for each other but that things went no further than that. A subsequent investigation by the league and its players association cleared Wilkinson of any wrongdoing.
At the time, Wilkinson said the players still asked her to step down, and she agreed.
The move to Wales has proved to be a fresh start.
"I don't think it's a secret that I was away from football for a second and kind of needed to find that excitement and love for it again," she said in an Interview. "Going to Wales, the homeland of my mother but also somewhere where I spent every holiday growing up, was exciting and important to me. With my aunts and uncles there, my cousins, it's definitely a second home."
Wilkinson spent 18 months in Wales as a child when her parents, both teachers, took a sabbatical.
She is living in Penllyn, a small village some 20 kilometres west of Cardiff. Home is a converted one-room apartment above a barn on a farm.
"I chose it because it's a 30-minute walk across the field to my great-aunt, who's 98," she explained.
It's also a 20-minute drive to work.
Wales will play Nations League games against No. 13 Italy and No. 5 Sweden in February before facing No. 12 Denmark in April.
"Exceptional" is the adjective Wilkinson uses for the Welsh women.
Wales is a country of three million that two years ago had only 8,000 registered women's players, with little infrastructure or opportunity for young girls.
"So everyone on that team has had to fight to be there," Wilkinson said. "And yes I may not have the luxury of a huge player pool to choose from, but what I do have is top top character, quality people who will give anything because they know what it means. They really know.
"And it reminds me of the early Canadian players that I had the privilege of playing with — the Charmaine Hoopers, the Donnellys … (They) helped the next generation of player really appreciate what we were getting and that's exactly what this Welsh team is. They fight for everything. They believe in better for themselves and for the country and young girls."
Veteran Jess Fishlock, a 38-year-old who plays for the NWSL's Seattle Reign, has become Wales' all-time leading scorer with 46 goals, ahead of Ian Rush (28), Gareth Bale (41) and Helen Ward (44).
As for the Canada women's coaching job, filled by England's Casey Stoney last month, Wilkinson said the time was not right for her.
"I think Casey's a fantastic hire," she said.
"I'd love to come back and work in Canada someday, but right now is not the time and it's great to see the game I love and the team I love — as in where I played for 20 years — keep pushing their standards. So I'm really proud about that. And equally proud that I'm making sure that I'm improving every day in the role that I have and one that I love."
Wilkinson's first game in charge was a 4-0 win over Croatia on April 5 to open Euro 2025 qualifying. She is 6-1-3 at the Welsh helm with the lone loss a 2-1 defeat to Slovakia in the Oct. 25 first leg of their Euro playoff semifinal.
Wales overturned the deficit against Slovakia with a 2-0 win in the second leg thanks to a Ceri Holland goal in extra time that was initially ruled offside but restored on video review.
---
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 28, 2025.
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
