Ben Davies takes his place on the FAW Council to speak for Welsh players

Wales captain Ben Davies has taken a seat on the Football Association of Wales (FAW) Council, the body that helps steer the game in Wales, and he is there to speak for the players.

Davies was appointed in August as a dedicated representative for Welsh players. This week he joined FAW executives at Dragon Park in Newport to talk about the future of Welsh football. FAW president Mike Jones said Davies spoke up during the morning session of the council meeting.

Davies said he sits on the council to give a player's voice, after many years at the highest level of the game. He wants Welsh football to give every player the best chance, not only those in the professional ranks. That includes players in the Welsh leagues and at grassroots level, the clubs where most people first pull on a boot.

He also hopes to close a gap that many sports bodies know well. Those who carry out a plan on the pitch and those who write it in the boardroom do not always speak the same language. Davies wants to be the link between the two.

The defender is best known for his years at Tottenham Hotspur in London, where he won the Europa League and reached the Champions League final. The Europa League is the second-tier European club competition, and the Champions League is the continent's biggest club tournament. He now brings that experience to a different kind of table.

For a player who has spent his career on the field, the move is a change of role. The question now is how much a player's voice can shape decisions made far from the pitch, and whether the grassroots clubs notice the difference.