DIVA chats to the West Ham forward about the WSL, long-distance relationships and the future of women’s football
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGES BY WEST HAM UNITED
As a kid, Ffion Morgan was naughty. So naughty in fact that her parents sent her to a football club to get rid of her excess energy, stopping her from wrestling her sisters at home in Llandeilo, Wales. She fell in love with the game, striving to be the best and pushing herself to the next level. Role models like Welsh player Loren Dykes inspired her to keep pursuing football wherever it would take her.
It’s likely that Ffion is a face you’ve already come across on the pitch. In 2021, she was signed by Bristol City, where her contribution helped the team achieve promotion to the Women’s Super League (WSL). Last year, Ffion announced that she had been signed by West Ham United. In her international career, Ffion has reached 50 caps for Wales and played for her country during the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025.
Alongside her work as a forward on the pitch, Ffion has found a fanbase around her from her candidness online. She speaks openly about being a lesbian, acting as a role model for LGBTQIA+ fans everywhere. While it wasn’t always easy being out when growing up in Wales, Ffion tells me that women’s football in the WSL has been a safe space for her to be her authentic self. “I never felt the need to come out,” Ffion says. “I’ve just been myself on social media and being a lesbian is part of that.”
Now at West Ham, Ffion has seen first hand the power of the team’s LGBTQIA+ community. Their official LGBTQIA+ and Allies Supporter Group, Pride Of Irons, aims to create a safe and welcoming space for all of West Ham’s fanbase. For Ffion, it’s important to use her platform to continue being a role model for all fans. “Women’s football is just a really healthy space for fans and players. I want to be a good ambassador for women’s football in the WSL.”
Ffion has also gained a significant fanbase through her openness about her relationship with Newcastle United’s Lia Cataldo. The pair met while playing at Bristol City, and have since shared their love with the world through social media. “I do want to show my relationship like a straight couple would,” Ffion adds. “As a couple, we’re so secure in ourselves and who we are.”
In a tale as old as time, with both Ffion and Lia as footballers, things can get competitive. Ffion shares a memory from when their teams pulled each other in the FA Cup. “She’s injured at the moment, so she was lucky that she didn’t have to defend me!” Ffion jokes.
With hectic schedules and clubs on the opposite ends of the country, Lia and Ffion have been making long-distance work for them. “We’re best friends and partners so we understand each other,” she tells me. “We want to respect each other’s careers. We knew that would be part of our relationship. Getting a rail pass on Trainline definitely helped!”
With millions of people now streaming or attending women’s football around the world, the sky is the limit for where the game could go next. For Ffion, it’s clear that women’s football in the WSL will only continue to get bigger. “I want to see a continuation of more opportunities for younger girls in positions I wish that I had years ago.”
And what would her younger self feel watching her career now? “I wouldn’t believe you!” she laughs. “I never dreamt of it because I didn’t believe that it was real. For kids now, there are role models and people they can watch. Hopefully I’m playing my part as a queer player in the WSL.”
As a proud Welsh player, Ffion also hopes that more opportunities come to the Land of Song. “I’d love to see more Welsh players that are playing in the top of leagues. The game does need to grow in Wales. All I can hope for my country is that we can get to a place where we’re developing as a nation for women’s football.”
Ffion’s openness and candidness about her life on and off the pitch has inspired thousands. What message does she hope her fans take away? “It’s important to have people around you. I’m so secure in myself because I have people who love me so much and care so much about me.”
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