Football was once seen as ‘the English game’ but the revived Wales team is now a symbol of Welsh culture and language
A film by Greg Caine, for Copa90
Growing up, rugby was always “the Welsh sport”. I was brought up with stories of the famous atmosphere – the anthem, the songs, the “hwyl”. he sport gave me and my family a sense of Welsh identity and an opportunity to celebrate our Welshness that we may not have had otherwise. I remember coming home from school raving about
Football and being told that “it was the English sport – rugby was for the Welsh”. But, now as an adult, it’s not rugby that’s given me this sense of identity, but football.
This may come as a shock for people outside Wales. We’re well aware of the stereotypes – mainly rugby and choral singing – and we’ve not exactly been known for our football history (despite producing all-time greats such as John Charles, Ian Rush, Gareth Bale and Chris Gunter). Just 10 years ago we were ranked 117th in the world and until 2016 – the best summer of our lives – we had not reached a major tournament in 58 years.