Pennod 3 Stori Pêl-droed Cymru

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-The story of Welsh football

-is one worth telling.

-Like in all good stories,

-there are heroes...

-..and villains.

-There are tough, physical battles...

-..and emotional ones.

-In the series,

-I'll visit village grounds...

-Save!

-..and city stadiums.

-I'll meet the people

-who helped shape the game in Wales.

-For more and more people...

-..watching football

-is associated with places like this.

-Modern, all-seater stadiums

-with corporate facilities...

-..bars, places to eat

-and conference rooms.

-But that's not how things were.

-In the early days...

-..football grounds

-came about mainly by chance.

-They certainly didn't show

-signs of planning.

-Looking back at the earliest film

-of an international game...

-..between Wales and Ireland,

-in Wrexham in 1906...

-..the Turf pub was

-the closest thing to a stand.

-Most of the crowd

-stood on benches...

-..or a slope round the field.

-Apart from the Racecourse and more

-recently, Cardiff City Stadium...

-..Wales played home games...

-..on pitches that have long gone.

-Some were in unexpected places.

-Most people probably remember

-the Vetch and Ninian Park.

-What about the others?

-I've come to Penrhyn Castle,

-near Bangor...

-..to learn more from football

-historian, Phil Stead.

-Believe it or not, an international

-game was held here, in 1892.

-The FAW wanted to broaden the game's

-appeal, so they came to Bangor.

-But it wasn't a great success.

-People came by train to Bangor

-Station, then walked up here.

-There were about 4,000 here

-before the kick-off.

-They succeeded in pushing

-the gate down and everyone went in.

-The FAW lost money.

-They didn't return for a long time.

-They didn't return for a long time.

-

-Because they didn't pay.

-Did they ever return to Bangor?

-Did they ever return to Bangor?

-

-Yes, twelve years later.

-They went to the town's old

-cricket ground in Farrar Road...

-..where Bangor City used to play.

-There were problems there too.

-The ground was in the town centre.

-Many watched from

-the High Street, without paying...

-..or from the school roof.

-People in neighbouring houses

-built platforms in their gardens.

-They charged people

-for watching over the wall.

-The FAW lost money again

-and never returned.

-Are there more unexpected

-places where Wales played?

-After leaving Wrexham,

-they tried playing games in England.

-They played in Crewe and Shrewsbury.

-Both places had big train stations.

-They hoped that a lot of people

-would travel there. It didn't work.

-Two games were played in Llandudno.

-The Association also

-had an eye on South Wales's money.

-Wales's rugby team

-had a crowd of 20,000.

-They went to play in Swansea, not

-at the Vetch, but St Helen's Ground.

-They had to borrow

-the Vetch's posts for the goals.

-It didn't work

-at The Arms Park either.

-They had crowds of up to 6,000...

-..but nowhere near

-the figure for rugby.

-Then they tried Aberdare,

-where they were very successful.

-They had 15,000 spectators.

-Unfortunately,

-they never played there again.

-Ninian Park was built

-and they were happy there.

-They played there

-and at the Racecourse for decades.

-We won't see another game

-at Penrhyn Castle.

-No, I'm sure of that.

-No, I'm sure of that.

-

-I don't think we want to, either.

-It would be odd to visit Bangor

-and not go to Farrar Road.

-But it's a supermarket now,

-not a football ground.

-Believe it or not, Napoli

-and Atletico Madrid played here.

-I never went to Farrar Road.

-I'm not sure where the goals were.

-Maybe it was in the middle

-of the fruit and veg.

-The Bangor team had a home game

-at their new ground, Nantporth.

-It's on the city outskirts.

-I'd missed the kick-off, but went

-to see the game against Port Talbot.

-Hi.

-Hi.

-

-OK. You?

-Not bad, thanks.

-Hi, Gwyn. You OK?

-Yes, thanks.

-What's the score?

-No score, it's 0-0.

-This is a nice stadium.

-This is a nice stadium.

-

-Yes.

-Did you miss Farrar Road?

-I did, but only

-for the first six weeks.

-The Farrar Road Fortress!

-We felt very much at home there.

-There were huge,

-famous games in Farrar Road.

-Yes. I'm old enough to remember

-the Naples, or Napoli, game.

-What do the people of Bangor

-think about football fever?

-We've got a good chance

-against Naples. We have a good team.

-I'm still very

-interested in football.

-Mrs Antoniazzi,

-who do you think will win?

-I hope it's a draw, because I love

-both countries, Italy and Wales.

-Excellent.

-Bangor City to win, 4-1.

-Bangor City to win, 4-1.

-

-Anything else?

-They've got the best defence

-in the Cheshire League.

-Good lad.

-How are you?

-How are you?

-Glenda, how are you?

-Hello.

-How are you?

-Fine, thanks. You?

-Gwynfor, you're the club secretary.

-You have an important job, noting

-every booking and substitution.

-It's crazy,

-I have to record everything.

-I phone Betfred, 365 and Sky.

-If there's a mistake, I get blamed!

-The pitch and stadium look good.

-Do you miss Farrar Road?

-Definitely.

-I went there for 40 years.

-Dad took me when I was four.

-I know I don't look that old.

-I miss it, but we enjoy

-the facilities here.

-Like now, we're winning 1-0.

-I'll go, in case you miss something.

-I'll go, in case you miss something.

-

-OK. Bye.

-APPLAUSE

-Hey!

-Bangor beat Napoli 2-0

-on that historical day in 1962.

-But after a promising start,

-they lost 2-1 to Port Talbot.

-Bangor isn't the only Welsh club

-to move from its old home.

-Swansea's Vetch Ground

-hosted the last game, in 2005.

-The Swans moved to the Liberty

-Stadium on the city outskirts.

-It's been their home

-ground for a decade.

-But some people

-still miss the old Vetch.

-The stadium was part of the game.

-It was more than just a place to

-watch the game. It was part of you.

-I always stood in the same place...

-..with the same people

-round me every week.

-It was my spot.

-It was important to me.

-We lost something when we moved.

-The Vetch was a mess.

-It was part of the attraction.

-We'd grown up going there.

-When we moved, we lost

-not just part of the club history...

-..but part of our own story too.

-It has made it very hard.

-The football is better, the sight

-lines too and it's more comfortable.

-But deep down, I preferred

-standing in a mess in the Vetch...

-..watching a mediocre team.

-The Vetch Ground got

-its name from the vetch plant...

-..grown here

-long ago to feed animals.

-The stadium was demolished in 2011.

-The wheel has turned.

-It's a park now,

-with allotments in one section.

-I've come to meet Cath Dyer, a Swans

-supporter since the early 1980s.

-Cath, the Vetch used to be here.

-What was special about it?

-I was 16 the first time I came here.

-I came with a friend.

-I'd never been to a match.

-It was the atmosphere,

-the whole place.

-The games, everything was special.

-They've kept the centre circle

-and planted flowers there.

-Can you describe the set-up?

-The goals were there and there.

-The old North Bank was there.

-The Centre Stand was here.

-The players came on here too.

-The players came on here too.

-

-Right.

-Where did you stand?

-In the North Bank,

-right in the corner.

-You remember exactly where.

-I came here so often.

-What were the facilities like?

-There was a shop

-in one of the houses.

-Myra ran the shop.

-She kept the money in

-a chocolate box behind the counter.

-There was a disco

-just up the road, Harpers.

-They held discos for the players.

-Supporters went there to see them.

-We could talk and dance with them,

-and get their autographs.

-You have some photos.

-Yes, old photos.

-Who are they?

-Who are they?

-

-Alan Curtis, back in 1981.

-Alan Curtis again.

-Colin Pascoe.

-He went to Liverpool with Brendan.

-Ray Kennedy,

-drinking a whisky or something.

-LAUGHTER

-There are a few

-of the old Vetch too.

-These were open days.

-That's you.

-Now, it's the Liberty Stadium.

-What do you think about it?

-I like the Liberty now.

-The Vetch was special. But there

-are new memories at the Liberty.

-It's becoming special.

-It's becoming special.

-

-New supporters go there now.

-Many don't remember the Vetch.

-It's the start for them.

-A lot has changed

-where we sit, in the family stand.

-Children growing up now

-have never seen the Vetch.

-New memories begin.

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-Ninian Park, Cardiff.

-This was one of Wales's

-most famous football grounds.

-The stadium made way

-for a housing estate.

-This was the centre spot.

-Cardiff City Stadium is a stone's

-throw from the old Ninian Park.

-The Bluebirds

-brought the gates with them.

-It's a memorial to the old ground,

-the fans and players who have gone.

-It's where

-I arranged to meet Huw Owen.

-He's one of the club's

-most loyal fans.

-Only the gates still stand.

-But you remember quite a bit more.

-I went there for over 40 years.

-Over 40 years!

-I started going with my father.

-I took my son for ten years.

-That's three generations.

-In my teens, I went with my mates.

-Dad stopped coming.

-Then I went with college friends.

-Looking back over 40 years...

-..the company I kept

-continually changed.

-Describe your usual match day.

-How did you get here?

-I arrived 45 minutes

-before kick-off.

-There were bands playing.

-My father and I would have a corned

-beef pasty and a custard slice.

-We stopped to eat on the way.

-I sat on the wall in the front.

-You can't go anywhere near it now.

-People can't stand even.

-I was allowed to go to

-the Grange End when I was older.

-I went in that end.

-What was the Grange End like?

-I was always in the Grange

-or Bob Bank.

-The Bob Bank

-was verging on the primitive!

-The Grange was black and dark.

-And the smell! I couldn't

-begin to describe the smell.

-They were mostly illegal substances!

-The rest was just downright nasty!

-That's what I remember.

-And the noise!

-There was no noise like it anywhere

-in the world. It was unique.

-Do you remember

-the chants and songs?

-I can't repeat them.

-It's after the watershed.

-It's after the watershed.

-

-Fine!

-# Cardiff City FC

-# We're the greatest team

-in football

-# The world has ever seen #

-There were a hundred years

-of memories here.

-Through the turnstiles for

-the last time. The end of an era.

-Making Ninian Park safe...

-..to comply with

-Health and Safety regulations...

-..would have been more expensive

-than building a new stadium.

-It made financial sense to move.

-Future generations

-will discover the history.

-I'm sure.

-In ten years' time, you'll be

-singing the new stadium's praises.

-I'm sure.

-What we're talking about...

-..is what it's like

-to support a football team...

-..and identifying with a team.

-The old, unique stadium,

-is an integral part of that.

-We didn't realize it.

-These clubs

-were for the communities.

-Nowadays,

-they're money-making machines.

-Nigel Vaughan, a quick ball in, a

-chance for Lowndes. Beautiful goal.

-Somerton Park, home of 77 years

-of memories for Newport County.

-But no more. The ground is deserted,

-the club wound up by the High Court.

-If Bangor, Swansea and Cardiff

-fans miss their old homes...

-..Newport supporters not only

-lost Somerton Park stadium...

-..but the club itself.

-In 1980, the club was doing well.

-They were promoted to the old Third

-Division and won the Welsh Cup.

-In 1981, they reached the semi-final

-of the Cup Winners' Cup in Europe.

-But Newport County ran

-into financial difficulties.

-In 1988, the American

-Jerry Sherman and his company JLA...

-..offered to save the club.

-If we can pull Newport

-out of shtuck...

-..what can we do for your business?

-That's the way we're looking at it.

-Not only can I do that as JLA, so

-can you with your own local clients.

-That's what we'll

-push for Newport County.

-But Sherman failed to keep

-his promises. The club went bust.

-Houses were built on Somerton Park.

-The club's property

-was sold at auction.

-Lot 103...

-..is a large quantity

-of black armbands.

-Must be worth something. They

-must be worth a pound to someone.

-BIDDING STARTS

-One pound fifty I'll take.

-One pound, to 74.

-Saddest day of my life.

-What's it like,

-seeing these things being sold off?

-Heartbreaking.

-The supporters are good supporters.

-People from outside... ..very bad.

-Goalkeeper's shirt going for 19.

-Unbelievable.

-A new club was formed

-in Newport soon after.

-In 2013, they were promoted back

-to League Two in the English league.

-The stadiums and stands

-are important to fans.

-However, if the field itself

-is of a poor standard...

-..the standard of play suffers.

-You can't play tiki-taka

-on a potato field.

-The days when teams splashed

-in puddles in midwinter...

-..and the goalposts stood in

-a sea of mud are fast disappearing.

-I've come to Latham Park, Newtown,

-to meet Gareth Owen.

-He looks after the pitch.

-It's an artificial, 3G pitch.

-Newtown are playing Airbus tonight.

-These two clubs had 3G

-after the New Saints.

-What exactly is 3G?

-What is it made of?

-It's plastic.

-There's a 25mm shock pad under this.

-This carpet is on top of that.

-There are 100 tons of sand...

-..and 80 tons of rubber crumbs.

-We leave about 15mm of grass.

-We can maintain it like this.

-The ball bounces and runs great.

-Astro turf used to be popular.

-QPR had it in Loftus Road. Players

-complained the bounce was different.

-It bounced up to about there!

-It bounced up to about there!

-

-It's not true of the new stuff.

-The pitch looks nice and green

-all season.

-The ball bounces

-through the season.

-Does it make your job easier?

-It's easier.

-I don't have come on Sunday mornings

-to put the divots back.

-But there's still plenty to do.

-There are leaves here.

-I sweep them up.

-What else do you pick up?

-Chewing gum, bottle tops...

-..all sorts of things, even wallets!

-The field is used every night.

-It makes your job easy.

-Easier. I can sit down

-rather than walk with the mower.

-I've gained weight!

-Newtown is doing well.

-You finished sixth last year.

-You reached the final.

-Copenhagen recently played here.

-It's going well.

-It's going well.

-

-And Valletta.

-It's made a big difference.

-The players train

-on Tuesdays and Thursdays...

-..without having to worry

-about the state of the pitch.

-The Football Association of Wales...

-..is keen for our main clubs

-to embrace this technology.

-Half the pitches of the Dafabet

-Welsh Premier League...

-..will be 3G next year.

-It's brought the clubs

-closer to their communities...

-..as well as offering

-a means to make extra income.

-The clubs are more sustainable.

-Games can be played in all weathers.

-That helps me

-when I'm arranging fixtures!

-If we take Newtown as an example...

-..their business plan stipulated

-using the pitch 70% of the time.

-The last I heard, it was 93%.

-Imagine the money

-that's generated...

-..being spent in the bar, by

-parents whose children play there.

-3G is a resounding success for the

-development of the domestic game.

-I came back to Latham Park that

-night for the Newtown v Airbus game.

-It's another club in

-the Dafabet Welsh Premier League...

-..that has invested

-in this pioneering pitch.

-With the two teams

-playing so well...

-..I soon forgot it

-was an artificial field.

-To traditionalists,

-it'll never replace grass.

-There's a lot to be said for it.

-But football fans are sentimental.

-Losing the atmosphere,

-spirit and history...

-..of the old grounds and stadiums

-can hurt.

-But football, like everything else,

-moves with the times.

-We'll always have

-the stories and the memories.

-After all,

-it's in these new stadiums...

-..that new stories and memories

-will begin to be made.

-S4C Subtitles by Gwead

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