The FAW’s promotion of the women’s game is excellent, with their PR team doing all they can to push it, but Wales are playing catch-up in regards to how the women’s game is treated overall.
“It has been a slow process to get us where we need to be, but we are getting there,” Fishlock admitted this week.
Grainger, Wales’ third full-time manager, will be the first Wales boss to have sole charge of the senior side, rather than also overseeing the age-grade teams, but that is just one change in what has been a slow process.
BBC Sport Wales has been asking the FAW about the issue of appearance money for six months, since the news that England men’s and women’s senior players are paid the same emerged last September. No answer has been forthcoming.
Wales’ women’s games are constantly shifted from venue to venue, despite many players going on record as saying they would like a permanent home – some also say they like the variety – while there have been issues previously with the team having to share training facilities with youth players in the lead-up to qualification games.
Former boss Ludlow says the FAW are playing catch-up, but that changes are happening.
“We had one group of staff, for many, many years, looking after all the age groups,” she told BBC Sport Wales
“We were very much a satellite group of staff brought in six, seven years ago to look after the women’s environment and people can think what they like about that.
“The fact we weren’t within the FAW or the FAW Trust in any shape or form to develop and learn and be part of that environment says a lot about the thought process towards the women’s game.
“It was challenging for my staff and I. There was overlap, times when we’d be on a senior camp preparing for an under-19s camp that started two days afterwards and that was our reality.
“But one of the reasons that obviously change has happened recently is because that thought process has changed… and there are some drastic changes happening in our women’s environment, youth and senior right now.”
More generally, and entirely out of FAW control, many of Wales’ players have been unable to train or play this season and last, due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Within FAW control is the more general issue of the impression that it has been a chaotic time behind the scenes at the organisation with chief executive Ford leaving after being subjected to a vote of no confidence.
None of that, however, will bother Grainger after 14 years at the FA.
“After all that time at the Football Association, I am used to people leaving jobs and things going on behind the scenes, none of that will be new to me,” she told BBC Sport Wales.
“The ambitions of the FAW are something I am so passionate about.”