Following World Cup qualification – The right investment in football could transform Wales 

Wales is not only “Yma o Hyd” (Still Here) – but football could help us succeed in more ways than one

Adam Price MS today called on Welsh Government to maximise on the opportunity that football and the world stage now offers our nation.

The calls follow the historic match on Sunday that saw the Wales men’s football team qualify for their first World Cup since 1958.

Speaking in the Senedd today (Tuesday 7 June), the leader of Plaid Cymru paid tribute to the Football Association of Wales (FAW) which he said embodied the value of the Wales he wanted to see: “modern, bilingual, anti-racist, creative and inclusive.”

During Questions to the First Minister, Adam Price asked Mark Drakeford “How can we use the World Cup, with its unparalleled global audience, to project that image of that new Wales for trade and international promotion?“

Mr Price noted that despite the busy schedule of the FAW, they had their first meeting at 9am on Sunday evening to start their planning for Wales and called for the “same sense of commitment and urgency” from Welsh Government to “maximise on this opportunity.”

Adam Price MS, Leader of Plaid Cymru, said,

“This Sunday evening, some of us will have seen history being written, not only for Welsh football, but also on a broader level for the whole of Wales. Doesn’t it prove that with that sort of commitment and unity – the unity of the team, the staff, the supporters, all together – we can achieve anything as a nation when we focus our minds, our feet and perhaps, in the case of Wayne Hennessey, our hands too?

“Football has given Wales this incredible opportunity, and just as the FAW had their first meeting at 9pm on Sunday to start their planning for the World Cup, so should the Welsh Government show the same sense of urgency and commitment at the national level to maximise this opportunity.

“There is also huge potential here to inspire, connect people, change lives, transform communities, build the nation. But we have to invest to make the most of that.   

“Welsh Government needs to invest in the physical infrastructure, in the social infrastructure of clubs so we can make sure that this World Cup leaves a legacy not just in Qatar but also in every community in Wales, and for generations to come? The opportunity that football presents to us as a nation must not slip through our hands – or feet!”