Pennod 6 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.

-Maes Tegid is the home of Bala FC.

-Bala is going

-from strength to strength.

-It gained promotion to

-the Welsh Premier League in 2009...

-..and stayed there ever since.

-It's a far cry from the riches of

-the Liberty, Cardiff City Stadium...

-..and even Wrexham.

-They play in the English pyramid.

-But they're at the heart

-of Welsh football identity.

-That sums up the ambivalence

-of the game in Wales...

-..and why that identity came

-under threat on several occasions.

-These threats still exist today.

-Football became increasingly

-popular in the early 20th century...

-..especially in South Wales.

-In England, the Southern League

-administrators...

-..looked on in envy at the packed

-terraces in Welsh matches.

-In 1909, the Southern League

-secretary visited South Wales...

-..to invite some big

-local clubs to join them.

-They included Ton Pentre

-in the Rhondda.

-The tactic worked.

-By 1919, fifteen South Wales clubs

-played in the Southern League.

-By 1922, there were six Welsh clubs

-in the Football League...

-..the main English league.

-So, contrary to what some people

-think, the English came after us.

-We didn't ask to play in England.

-The 1920s was a golden age

-for Welsh football.

-Clubs in the south

-turned professional.

-Swansea reached the semi-final

-of the FA Cup in 1924.

-Cardiff reached the final in 1925.

-But the highlight was 1927, when

-Cardiff brought the Cup to Wales.

-Everybody was proud of them,

-especially the Football Association.

-We wish to place on record...

-..the delight of all lovers

-of the game in the principality...

-..at our premier club...

-..bringing to Wales the English Cup

-for the first time in history.

-The Association's use of the

-word "principality" speaks volumes.

-The FAW minutes is full of examples

-of how it saw itself...

-..as part

-of the British establishment.

-When Queen Mary died in 1953...

-..the FAW demanded that

-all clubs had a minute's silence...

-..wore black armbands,

-flew the flag at half mast...

-..and sang God Save The Queen.

-I'm not accusing the FAW

-of being anti-Welsh.

-It merely reflected the attitude of

-the majority of our public bodies...

-..as well as the nation,

-to the crown.

-But it's a fact that the attitude

-of the FAW was very negative...

-..towards anything that could ignite

-the spark of patriotism.

-# DWR #

-Huw Jones

-The 1960s heralded

-a surge of nationalism in Wales.

-There were pro-language protests

-across the country.

-This rebellious spirit didn't reach

-the terraces and grounds.

-But that changed in the 1970s.

-Just listen to this atmosphere.

-It's something

-that hasn't been experienced here...

-..or in any other ground

-around Wales...

-..for a tremendously long time.

-As this amazing footage

-from Ninian Park in 1977 shows...

-..the crowd wanted to express their

-unique Welsh identity to the world.

-Wales! Wales! Wales!

-Dai Davies was in that team.

-He has since settled in Llangollen.

-He remembers it

-as if it were yesterday.

-Dai, you played

-for Wales from 1975 to 1982.

-It's an iconic time for me,

-as a child. I remember it well.

-How did it feel

-to represent your country?

-Mike Smith was a successful manager,

-and so were we as a squad.

-Several of the players

-played in the First Division.

-We were close.

-Our strength was knowing

-we were different.

-We played for each other.

-Best play is team play.

-How was the feeling of identity

-within the team?

-We were lucky. A few of us

-were passionate about the language.

-John Mahoney learnt Welsh,

-fair play to him.

-Sorry we're late, Reg.

-Reg Harries, Y Deri landlord.

-Dai Davies and John Mahoney.

-Dai Davies and John Mahoney.

-

-How are you?

-John played Welsh songs in the bus.

-Half a lager, seeing as I'm driving.

-Half a lager, seeing as I'm driving.

-

-And a pint, please.

-Ian Evans joined the squad

-from Crystal Palace.

-We'd have a singsong

-after a few pints.

-Ian Evans sang

-Maybe It's Because I'm A Londoner.

-John Mahoney poured a pint over him!

-Ian had to realize he wasn't

-a Londoner, but a Welshman.

-Evans... yes!

-Ian Evans the scorer.

-That's the first goal

-he's ever scored for his country...

-..and it's come at a vital moment.

-There were iconic games.

-The famous win against

-England in Wembley.

-What did that feel like?

-I was very lucky.

-I was a young lad from Glanaman

-who played four times in Wembley.

-I never lost.

-There were three draws.

-In the 1977 game...

-..we asked if they could play

-Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau in Wembley.

-Their excuse was that the Wembley

-orchestra didn't have the music.

-I was rather angry about that.

-We walked out,

-and lined up against England.

-Terry Yorath, the captain, said...

-.."Tell the boys

-not to move until I move."

-I told Leighton Phillips, Leighton

-told John Mahoney and Joey Jones.

-God Save The Queen was played

-and the England team moved away.

-We stood there, as a team.

-It was no more than 15 seconds.

-Ted Croker, the England FA

-secretary, tried to get us to move.

-We just stood still.

-Then Terry said, "Let's go."

-It was a small protest.

-But it showed in our game.

-We beat England 1-0.

-That's his seventh goal

-for his country.

-Great.

-Great.

-

-A kick up their backsides.

-A kick in their balls!

-Say it as it is!

-You can edit that out!

-In 1977, Dai moved from Everton

-to play for Wales's oldest club...

-..Wrexham.

-He won the Third Division

-title in his first season.

-This is when

-the club's Welshness was ignited.

-I went to The Turf before

-the Wrexham v Barrow game.

-It's where fans

-gather before home games.

-Marc Jones was on the board

-of Wrexham Supporters Trust.

-Being so close to the border...

-..has strengthened Wrexham's

-Welsh identity.

-I think so.

-Back in the 1970s,

-the Union Jack flew in the Kop.

-Now it's only the Red Dragon.

-People understand they're in Wales.

-That's the big difference.

-Wrexham is a Welsh club, in

-a Welsh town, close to the border.

-We're not a border town any more.

-We don't like Chester!

-That defines us, too.

-We're a working-class Welsh town.

-We don't like the English snobs

-of Chester!

-The club has enhanced

-the town's Welsh identity.

-I think so. The club is such

-an important part of the town.

-The balance has shifted

-since the fans took over.

-The fans have a greater sense

-of Welsh identity...

-..than the previous owners had.

-That has improved matters.

-Perhaps not everyone speaks Welsh.

-But they are just as Welsh.

-People from North West Wales

-have to accept that!

-It's a struggle sometimes.

-We're playing Barrow now.

-We'd better go.

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-# Mae hen wlad fy nhadau #

-Dai Davies and the Welsh team's

-famous stand in 1977...

-..led to us having the right

-to sing our anthem in away games.

-It was only a small step...

-..on the long and winding path

-to defend our identity in the game.

-# Ein gwrol ryfelwyr

-# Gwladgarwyr tra mad #

-This ground in Cwmbran

-played a pivotal role...

-..in one of the most important

-events of Welsh football.

-A significant game

-was played here in 1993.

-The largest town in Wales makes

-its mark on footballing history.

-Cwmbran Town played Cork City

-in an European fixture.

-Could it be the dream start? It is!

-Despite the fantastic start,

-they lost on away goals.

-But it's not the result that counts,

-but what the game represented.

-It's not the first time a Welsh team

-played in an European championship.

-Bangor, Wrexham and Cardiff

-had played in the Cup Winners Cup.

-But it was the first time

-a Welsh team represented Wales...

-..in the main European championship,

-the European Cup.

-It could only come about

-by establishing a national league...

-..and that's exactly

-what happened in 1992.

-A cynic would say that every

-season was like the one before.

-But the next eight months

-will be slightly different.

-The new league was the vision

-of the FAW secretary, Alun Evans.

-Twenty Welsh clubs were ordered

-to come together to form it.

-But several of them were unwilling.

-They wanted to continue playing

-in the English football pyramid.

-So they appealed against the decree.

-Barry Town, Newport, Bangor City...

-..Caernarfon Town, Colwyn Bay,

-Rhyl and Newtown...

-..be dismissed...

-..and the appeal of

-Merthyr Tydfil be allowed.

-Eventually, two of those clubs,

-Bangor and Newtown, made a U-turn.

-On August 15, 1992...

-..the first matches were played

-in the Konica League Of Wales.

-That day,

-Caersws travelled to Aberystwyth...

-..the first club

-to put their name on the list.

-Twenty three years later...

-..I was keen to see...

-..if the club's enthusiasm

-in 1992 was still evident.

-Thomas, Aberystwyth has been

-in the league from the start.

-It's worked out very well for you.

-Yes. It was win-win

-for us as a club.

-Five years before

-the league began...

-..we were a local club.

-We played in the Mid-Wales League

-against villages.

-What you see now is not

-just a club, but a small business.

-There's a staff of twenty and

-a turnover of 300,000 last year.

-So it has certainly

-transformed the club.

-Geography has been a factor too.

-Indeed.

-The club wasn't interested

-in playing in England.

-There were several reasons,

-like travelling.

-The people running the club

-were proud to be Welsh...

-..and to be part

-of Welsh football identity.

-We're in the league anyway.

-It's good that clubs,

-however different their situation...

-..see the advantages

-of being in the league.

-The league has had a direct effect

-on the standard of football.

-Definitely.

-The standard is comparable with

-the league under the Conference...

-..where Wrexham plays.

-You can judge tonight. I don't know.

-It's difficult, because if the

-league had been founded in 1872...

-..all the clubs in Wales

-would be in it.

-Wrexham, Cardiff

-and Swansea would be in it.

-It would be like

-the situation in Scotland...

-..where the big clubs

-support the small clubs.

-Clubs would get support in

-the away games. We don't get that.

-So it's difficult for the league.

-But that's another point.

-That's a very hot potato, I'm sure.

-I'm sure!

-Aberystwyth embraced

-the new league.

-But Colwyn Bay FC

-was one of the Irate Eight...

-..as the media called them.

-The club took the FAW to court

-and won their case.

-To this day, the Seagulls

-play in the English pyramid...

-..in the Evo-Stik League

-Northern Premier.

-Yes!

-Great.

-Arwel Clwyd Jones

-is a former club treasurer.

-Brilliant!

-Brilliant!

-

-Great.

-Colwyn Bay have equalized, against

-a very good team, Salford City.

-They were under pressure.

-But they got a goal back.

-Good.

-Colwyn Bay are a tidy team.

-Their footwork is good.

-We play very tidy football.

-But we're struggling in the league,

-with not enough points.

-It was different when a national

-league for Wales was planned.

-You were flying at the time.

-You were flying at the time.

-

-Yes.

-The seagulls were flying high!

-The seagulls were flying high!

-

-Yes!

-We've been in English

-leagues since 1984.

-In eight years, we won

-four promotions, or came near.

-We'd have had to take a step back,

-which was hard to accept.

-These plans were unexpected.

-Yes.

-We were playing well and won games.

-It was a cloud above our heads.

-Maybe that was the main reason

-you opposed it, not the principle.

-Yes, and the unfairness.

-The FAW thought they could

-put pressure on the small clubs.

-"We won't let them play in England.

-"But we'll let Wrexham, Swansea

-and Cardiff do what they like."

-There was an element of hypocrisy.

-There was an element of hypocrisy.

-

-Yes.

-It wasn't a really national league.

-Did the club lose momentum?

-Yes.

-Oh!

-People lose the habit.

-Yes.

-Salford have scored.

-I haven't brought you a lot of luck!

-How do the supporters feel

-about the Welsh League now?

-Would they like to rejoin?

-I don't think so.

-The subject doesn't come up.

-Out of respect

-for the teams in it...

-..a new team would have to start

-at the bottom and work their way up.

-We're certainly

-not interested in that.

-So no regrets?

-None at all.

-Caernarfon FC was another

-one of the Irate Eight.

-They had a famous run in the English

-FA Cup in the 1986-1987 season.

-Feelings were very strong in 1992.

-# Are you watching?

-# Are you watching, Welsh FA?

-# Are you watching, Welsh FA? #

-I'm glad to tell Mr Alun Evans,

-who might be watching...

-..we won't make a loss tonight

-and we'll carry on.

-We're determined that

-Mr Alun Evans, the FAW Secretary...

-..won't get his own way.

-As a result of their stance...

-..Caernarfon, Barry,

-Colwyn Bay and Newport...

-..had to travel across the border

-for their home games.

-We're not stubborn. We haven't

-stopped anyone doing anything.

-The league has been formed.

-We're the only four

-disadvantaged clubs in Wales...

-..and the only four

-clubs in the world...

-..prevented from playing

-where they want to.

-Today, Marc Roberts and the club's

-attitude is slightly different.

-I asked him

-about his memories of those days.

-It was quite a novelty

-in the first year.

-But after that, some of us,

-including me, were tired of it all.

-It was the other side of Manchester.

-Curzon Ashton isn't

-the nicest place.

-It's to the east of Manchester.

-It's to the east of Manchester.

-

-The pitch wasn't great.

-We shared it with Curzon Ashton.

-How many fans went there?

-Not many.

-A bus at first, but as time went on,

-as you can imagine...

-..numbers decreased.

-But between 30 and 40

-supported the club every week.

-The club has been back in

-the Welsh pyramid for a few years.

-What do people feel

-about that time now?

-Speaking for myself, I'm glad.

-It was the right decision.

-Geraint Lloyd Owen

-took over as Chair.

-He decided it was

-the right way forward for us...

-..although we won the court case

-about joining the Welsh League.

-I supported what the club did.

-But in the long term, the right

-thing for us was to come back.

-Feelings ran high.

-Even in the town, not everyone

-agreed with what the club did.

-We lost a number of supporters.

-But it went the other way too.

-When we joined the Welsh League,

-some loyal supporters left.

-But slowly, they have returned.

-In the long run...

-..it was a sensible

-decision to return.

-We've gained more than we lost.

-Whatever the attitude

-of some clubs...

-..and everyone

-is entitled to their opinion...

-..founding a national league...

-..safeguarded and bolstered

-football's identity in Wales.

-Without the league,

-we'd be on much shakier ground...

-..especially remembering the storm

-that arose with Team GB...

-..at the London Olympics in 2012.

-If we look back to the 1970s

-and 1990s mainly...

-..with the growth of football

-in places like Africa and Asia...

-..and a call for more political

-influence in football, in FIFA...

-..these countries were perhaps

-envious of the influence...

-..of countries like Wales,

-Northern Ireland and Scotland...

-..in the governing body IFAB,

-who make the game's rules.

-That status existed

-for historical reasons...

-..not as a result of success.

-It came to a head

-at the 2012 London Olympics.

-There was a lot of pressure

-to compete as Team GB...

-..with a promise

-that it would be a one-off.

-In the end, some Welsh players

-played in the men's team.

-People felt

-it would only happen once.

-But the subject came up again

-for the Rio De Janeiro Olympics.

-Wales,

-Northern Ireland and Scotland...

-..were strong enough

-to withstand this time.

-But this will turn up again, perhaps

-especially with the women's team.

-One thing is sure.

-Wales's football fans

-wouldn't be seen near a Union Jack.

-We're Welsh, not British,

-come what may.

-This is our flag, the Red Dragon...

-..Wales's flag.

-It just so happens it's also

-the coolest flag in the world.

-Many chapters have been written

-in the story of Welsh football.

-But the most exciting chapter

-is yet to come.

-This flag has been with me

-across Europe over the years.

-It's coming with me

-to France next summer too.

-So, until then...

-..au revoir!

-S4C Subtitles by Gwead

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