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Delyth Jewell, who represents Plaid Cymru, is one of four regional Senedd Members serving the South Wales East region.
If someone had told a Wales football fan eleven years ago, when we were ranked 117th in the world, that they would feel disappointed at leaving the World Cup at the group stage, they would have thought you were pulling their leg. Yet, that is the prevailing feeling among football fans today.
There’s no shame in going out at the same stage as Germany, Belgium and Denmark – this is the elite stage of men’s football, it doesn’t get any harder. I don’t feel disappointed that we’re out; I feel proud that we were there in the first place. In the same way, I don’t feel any of the players let us down – they’ve lifted us all up by giving so many people the delight of getting to watch our nation play in three out of the four last major tournaments.
I’ve been urging the Welsh Government to capitalise on the renewed sense of national pride and interest in the game that’s come about because of this tournament. The FAW has made great strides in recent years in targeting their increased revenue into women’s football, as well as launching excellent initiatives like Huddle, which gives an opportunity for schoolgirls to play in a friendly environment. The next step has to be investing in developing the provisions for grassroots football, as well as other sports, with an emphasis on making it easier for children and people from disadvantaged communities to get active. There are clear health benefits for doing this, which includes helping people’s physical and mental health, and the FAW has said the business case for more government funding speaks for itself. If we want more Ramseys and Bales to play on the world stage in the future, we need to put the investment into the grassroots game now.
But the legacy we’ll take from this World Cup adventure can’t only be focused on sport, – there must be wider cultural and societal benefits too. I’d never have believed that so many people would learn the words to a Welsh language song (apart from the national anthem of course!) But the Yma o Hyd phenomenon is significant, and shows a sea change in people’s attitude towards the Welsh language. Cymraeg is now seen as something that belongs to everyone in Wales, whether or not they speak the language. But we need to make it easier for more people to learn Welsh and to deepen their engagement with it. It’s simply not fair that people who want to learn are priced out of this opportunity because of the cost of lessons, or because there aren’t any secondary schools in their area where they can send their children to learn through the medium of Welsh. As a result of the cooperation agreement with Plaid Cymru, the Welsh Government is now offering free lessons to young people aged 18-25, which is so welcome, but I’d love to see more opportunities being made available for people of all age groups to benefit from these lessons too.
The message of Yma o Hyd is more relevant than ever, at a time when we have faced defeat. The song tells the story of how the Welsh nation, its people, and its language survived even in the face of conquest, and in spite of Thatcherite attempts to stamp out our language. We’re doing more than just surviving now: we’re flourishing. A key feature of the Welsh way has always been to make sure everyone gets a chance to share the fruits of any successes we have. So come on Welsh Government, give more opportunities to people all over the nation to be able to play sport, learn about our language and history and take pride in what Gareth Bale and those other sons of Speed achieved on our behalf. Diolch, fechgyn. We’re so proud of everything you’ve done.
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