:00:24. > :00:30.Good evening and welcome to Cardiff City Stadium where hafts are surely
:00:30. > :00:33.beating a little bit faster as they inch their way to securing --
:00:33. > :00:38.promotion to become the second Welsh club to play in the Premier
:00:38. > :00:46.League. So stay with us for that and plenty more on tonight
:00:46. > :00:54.programme. We meet the rising star of motorsport, the Welshman who has
:00:54. > :01:00.set his sights on Formula One. aim is to be the next Welsh Formula
:01:00. > :01:07.One superstar. A as Glamorgan begin this season, we hear our -- how
:01:07. > :01:11.hopes are high. There is no reason why we should not go out. And in a
:01:11. > :01:15.special report, we look at the role of the League of Wales in
:01:15. > :01:22.developing Welsh footballers. Playing in the League of Wales with
:01:23. > :01:26.Carmarthen was my showcase. Cardiff City drawn Europe Sue five
:01:26. > :01:32.months at the top of the championship, the two recent
:01:32. > :01:35.consecutive draws will surely have tested fans' nerves as promotion to
:01:35. > :01:39.the Premier League remains tantalisingly close. Our reporter
:01:39. > :01:44.caught up with the club ahead of tomorrow's home game against
:01:44. > :01:47.Nottingham Forest. Cardiff City stand on the brink of Premier
:01:47. > :01:56.League football. They play five matches over the next four weeks
:01:56. > :02:04.and needs seven points to guarantee promotion. They have been close
:02:04. > :02:09.calls already. Last season's play- off semi-final defeat to West Ham.
:02:09. > :02:13.2011's Gloucester Reading at the same stage. And in 2010, they made
:02:13. > :02:18.the play-off final at Wembley but lost to blackball. This year the
:02:18. > :02:23.play-offs and not on the radar. Automatic promotion is key. Off the
:02:23. > :02:28.field, the club launched their latest community project this week.
:02:28. > :02:33.Even if owner Vincent Tan has called upon a higher power to help
:02:33. > :02:39.them in their bid. With a divine blessing and good luck to our
:02:39. > :02:44.players, we hope and pray we will be there. It is about sticking to
:02:44. > :02:53.the plan and your beliefs. That is what I do. We have to have a
:02:53. > :03:00.certain coldness and calmness about what we're doing. Our players are
:03:00. > :03:05.delivering the plan. To have or that nine-point gap with five games
:03:05. > :03:09.to go shows a great consistency and a great character. Two seasons ago
:03:09. > :03:12.Swansea City received an estimated �90 million in additional earnings
:03:12. > :03:18.from their promotion to the Premier League. That figure will now have
:03:18. > :03:26.almost increased after the Premier League signed a new �3 billion TV
:03:26. > :03:32.deal. This week Swansea revealed profits of �15.9 million. Looking
:03:32. > :03:39.on a commercial basis, the media coverage is probably the biggest
:03:39. > :03:45.thing that any club coming up will find. It is a totally different
:03:45. > :03:55.level. Commercially, exactly the same. The media coverage is
:03:55. > :03:55.
:03:55. > :04:03.worldwide. When you found it difficult to do major sponsorship
:04:03. > :04:08.deals locally, now you can go worldwide. That is the biggest
:04:08. > :04:16.thing. Everybody can see what football at the top level does for
:04:16. > :04:21.a community and an economy and a nation. We want to be part of that.
:04:21. > :04:28.Everyone is looking for that prize. That is why there is so much
:04:28. > :04:38.investment in championship football clubs. Vincent Tan has put a huge
:04:38. > :04:39.
:04:39. > :04:49.amount of money in the club for four years. He has invested in the
:04:49. > :04:53.
:04:53. > :04:57.local community as well. That allows his investment to grow.
:04:57. > :05:01.the impressive Norwich defender Leon Barnett remaining with Cardiff
:05:01. > :05:09.until the end of the season, the first of Cardiff's final five games
:05:09. > :05:11.is at home to Nottingham Forest. They are a club that have a good
:05:11. > :05:19.squad and have had a lot of investment over the years. They are
:05:19. > :05:27.seen as one of the bigger clubs in the division. But we've had good
:05:27. > :05:34.teams put in front of assault -- of us all season. We are at home with
:05:34. > :05:42.a lovely surface and 25,000 people cheering us on. I am now joined by
:05:43. > :05:46.two former Wales internationals. You have both been there and
:05:47. > :05:51.experienced promotion to the Premier League. In your experience
:05:51. > :05:57.with Norwich, you won the championship in 2004, can you
:05:57. > :06:04.sympathise with what Cardiff City are going through? Yes. It is time
:06:05. > :06:10.for cool heads and not to panic. You have to take one game at a time.
:06:10. > :06:16.What kind of experience does Martin McKay bring to this set-up? He will
:06:17. > :06:23.be the key man in the dressing room. He will calm things down. You have
:06:23. > :06:26.to play the game and not the occasion. It is only natural that
:06:27. > :06:30.the crowd is on edge because of the disappointments they've had in
:06:30. > :06:35.recent years. It will be there until they get over that the
:06:35. > :06:39.finishing line. He has got experienced players. He has got
:06:39. > :06:43.players who have played in big games. These next five games are
:06:43. > :06:48.going to be massive. He knows he's got enough and that dressing room
:06:48. > :06:52.to get them over the line. If they were not performing and they were
:06:52. > :06:59.looking like a nervous team it would be different but I don't see
:06:59. > :07:03.that. From what I saw against Blackburn, it doesn't look like a
:07:03. > :07:08.team which is nervous and frightened to do the job. How much
:07:08. > :07:14.will Cardiff City especially wants to avoid the play-offs? They won't
:07:14. > :07:18.want that situation. I doubt the players will have spoken about it.
:07:18. > :07:23.They will want to go up as champions. I don't think they'll do
:07:23. > :07:30.it in the next two games but I do expect them to go to Burnley and
:07:30. > :07:36.win promotion at there. I'm the same. There is no doubt in my mind
:07:36. > :07:41.they will get promotion. It will be disappointing if they don't go up
:07:41. > :07:46.as champions. But I am confident Cardiff City will be in the Premier
:07:46. > :07:49.League. They have been the best side in the championship. They have
:07:49. > :07:54.won more home games than any other club in the championship. They have
:07:54. > :07:59.the best court and they deserve to go up as champions. Stay with me
:07:59. > :08:03.and we'll talk more football shortly but now we turn our
:08:03. > :08:08.attention to motor sport and last weekend Welsh driver Matt Parry had
:08:08. > :08:13.a great start to his former Renault season with two podium finishes in
:08:13. > :08:19.Hockenheim. We have been following the end was driver as he aims to
:08:19. > :08:27.become the first Welshman since Tom Price in the 1970s to race in
:08:27. > :08:33.Formula One. At just 18, Matt Parry has been racing since he can
:08:33. > :08:42.remember. A karting start, he is out combining a day-job with his
:08:42. > :08:47.bid to rise through the ranks drive form a one. -- Formula One.
:08:47. > :08:51.started with my dad. We used to look to the Welsh mountains and do
:08:52. > :08:59.some motocross. We used to take a bacon sandwich and go far hours on
:08:59. > :09:02.end. That gave me a love for motor sport in general. From then, go-
:09:02. > :09:09.karting seemed like a good thing to do and we started doing that at an
:09:09. > :09:14.amateur level. Then it progressed to European and world championships.
:09:14. > :09:24.It quickly escalated into something a return full-time. Without doubt,
:09:24. > :09:24.
:09:24. > :09:30.I would not be where I am today. -- without my father. I have been with
:09:30. > :09:34.this company for over a year and they have become my family in terms
:09:34. > :09:43.of a team. We have got to know each other's characteristics and now we
:09:43. > :09:51.work very well together. This season, could you a race in the
:09:51. > :09:56.European Cup for the top British team. I did not sleep last night.
:09:56. > :10:03.This is the first time I have seen the car and I think it looks
:10:03. > :10:13.fantastic. The weather is not great so we were just to a few things and
:10:13. > :10:14.
:10:14. > :10:24.try out a few ideas. In this game, we're talking about tenths of
:10:24. > :10:25.
:10:25. > :10:31.seconds. Anything we can find to produce a better time is important.
:10:31. > :10:36.He is very aggressive. He is one of the fittest young drivers we have
:10:36. > :10:43.ever worked with. He does not get tired. He is a very exciting young
:10:43. > :10:53.driver. I think he will go a long way. There is no reason why he
:10:53. > :10:54.
:10:54. > :11:01.can't go all the way to form a low one. -- Formula One. Tom Price was
:11:01. > :11:10.your last one in the 70s and is no reason why for it -- Wales can have
:11:10. > :11:18.another former One driver. I am a occupational therapist assistant.
:11:18. > :11:24.We lay on activities for the patient in mental health. We try
:11:24. > :11:29.and build on their life experiences in terms of cooking and cleaning
:11:29. > :11:39.and various different activities. Even hobbies like playing football
:11:39. > :11:40.
:11:40. > :11:46.and gardening. We assess their abilities to do that activities.
:11:46. > :11:53.Then when the going to the community, they know what to do and
:11:53. > :11:59.they have or those key skills. -- they have those key skills. It is
:11:59. > :12:07.very difficult but it is something I wanted to do. It's great to get
:12:07. > :12:12.some life experiences. It is nice to have an academy of young drivers
:12:12. > :12:19.to bring them through. We are helping him out in these early
:12:19. > :12:24.stages. It is a fantastic tool to be able to learn theorist different
:12:24. > :12:34.circuits and also just to get a feel for formal one. Obviously the
:12:34. > :12:34.
:12:34. > :12:40.braking force and acceleration is different. He is 18 and now and if
:12:40. > :12:46.he races in the top three here, he has a good chance of moving on.
:12:46. > :12:50.were able to get two propositions from the first two races. The first
:12:50. > :12:53.race was disappointing because I had a few technical issues with the
:12:53. > :13:03.tears but we hung on to 4th place which was a great result. The
:13:03. > :13:04.
:13:04. > :13:09.second and third race, we got onto the podium. The aim is to come --
:13:09. > :13:17.is to become the next Welsh Formula One superstar. I would love to have
:13:17. > :13:21.a career in motor sport but at the moment I am focused. It may only be
:13:21. > :13:25.the beginning of April but Glamorgan's season is under way
:13:25. > :13:31.with a four-day match against Northamptonshire. Last season
:13:31. > :13:35.proved to be another disappointing campaign for the Welsh county but
:13:35. > :13:42.the players and the coaching staff are desperate to make a big
:13:42. > :13:47.impression in 2013. When the former England captain Michael Atherton
:13:47. > :13:50.wrote last month that Glamorgan were no-hopers, it was a
:13:50. > :13:54.predictable observation to make considering last year's record of
:13:54. > :13:58.just eight wins in 38 matches. But in the off-season, there was no
:13:58. > :14:03.repeat of their head lens of past years. Last winter was the quietest
:14:03. > :14:09.the club that had for some time. With the coaching staff working
:14:09. > :14:13.hard to avoid a repeat of 25 -- 2012. We looked at last year and we
:14:13. > :14:18.did not get out side enough on the turf. Sometimes the weather
:14:18. > :14:23.prevents that. Through the club's initiative, we have got into our
:14:23. > :14:28.indoor and outdoor marquee. It has been amazing for the bowlers in
:14:28. > :14:33.particular to run in and bowl full tilt. To be bowling on grass when
:14:33. > :14:37.it's raining, it does not get any better than that. We had 10 days in
:14:37. > :14:47.South Africa to prepare as well. Our preparation has been first-
:14:47. > :14:52.
:14:52. > :14:56.When Murray Goodwin was released by Sussex last September, Glamorgan
:14:56. > :15:01.signed him up with three county championships to his name, he
:15:01. > :15:06.brings huge experience. What we hope he will bring is not only his
:15:06. > :15:11.runs, which are important, that experience of being involved in a
:15:11. > :15:17.winning unit. Having been in a successful environment, not only in
:15:18. > :15:21.western Australia, also with Sussex, it's the sort of culture that I'm
:15:21. > :15:26.used to. Then, to doom here, I could see that Glamorgan are making
:15:26. > :15:31.strides all the time in getting better as a county. For young
:15:31. > :15:36.players, young players, not talking about the first team, young players
:15:36. > :15:43.in the Glamorgan squad, they should watch and learn. Also playing his
:15:43. > :15:49.first game for the club is the Australian Michael Hogan. He wasn't
:15:49. > :15:52.a full-time professional until his late 20's. I think people that
:15:52. > :15:58.follow their cricket know he has done a good job in Australian
:15:58. > :16:01.cricket in the last three or four years. We are lucky he had a
:16:01. > :16:06.British passport. He was keen to come over here. We tried to sign
:16:06. > :16:12.him last year. He had an offer on the table, he honoured the contract
:16:12. > :16:18.here. That is great for our club. There is a little bit of
:16:18. > :16:23.expectation, I suppose, maybe a lot of it is put on by myself, the
:16:23. > :16:30.pressure to perform. I mean, I'd like to go out there and do a good
:16:30. > :16:34.job and take wickets and be on the winning team for the season.
:16:34. > :16:39.successes of the '90s are fondly remembered around the stadium.
:16:39. > :16:43.Recently, the supporter numbers have dwindled. There is a lot of
:16:43. > :16:46.good feeling around this club, if we doo-doo well the supporters will
:16:46. > :16:50.get on board. Even our one-day kit you will notice this year is
:16:50. > :16:53.receipt owe. Back to the last winning side. The guys in this
:16:53. > :16:58.squad are aware of what happened before. They are keen to emulate
:16:58. > :17:02.what went on as well. For me, it's about seeing our players reach
:17:02. > :17:06.their potential. And, if you get more players than not reaching
:17:06. > :17:12.their potential through a season, then the chances of you being a
:17:12. > :17:14.more successful unit are higher and greater. Despite the pre-season
:17:14. > :17:19.optimism it has been another disappointing start to Glamorgan's
:17:19. > :17:25.season. It's been an up hill struggle. At the end of Day Three
:17:25. > :17:31.they are 96-4 in the second innings, needing another 612 runs to force
:17:31. > :17:36.North Hants to bat again. Back to football now. A special feature on
:17:36. > :17:40.where the next Ryan Giggs or Gareth Bale might be unearthed. Ian Hunt
:17:40. > :17:43.has taken a look at the role of the Welsh Premier League and asking
:17:43. > :17:49.whether they could play an important part in developing the
:17:49. > :17:53.next generation of Welsh footballers. It's looking good at
:17:53. > :17:57.the top of the Welsh game. Cardiff and Swansea about to be reunited in
:17:57. > :18:04.the Premier League. Fresh young talent at national level. A world-
:18:04. > :18:12.class star in Gareth Bale. What chance of the Bale's and Giggs' of
:18:12. > :18:16.the future coming from the domestic league. It's important to develop
:18:16. > :18:20.players in Welsh football be that in the domestic or in particular
:18:20. > :18:24.the late developers. Playing in the League of Wales was my showcase.
:18:24. > :18:30.as a country have to be able to provide a football infrastructure
:18:30. > :18:35.for those talented players that, perhaps, haven't caught the eye of
:18:35. > :18:40.the Manchester Uniteds. This is where the powers that be see the
:18:40. > :18:44.local future. Local clubs opening their gates to the community and
:18:44. > :18:49.giving youngsters like these a chance to make it to the top. It's
:18:50. > :18:54.admirable, but is it realistic? How many kids at grassroots level will
:18:54. > :19:01.make it to the Premier League or international stage? Mark Delaney
:19:01. > :19:07.made the leap from Welsh Premier to English Premier and full Wales
:19:07. > :19:10.international. He moved to Aston Villa via Cardiff City with Wales
:19:10. > :19:17.caps along the way. It made me the person I was. It made me a strong
:19:17. > :19:23.character. No doubt about it. No scouting system really down the
:19:23. > :19:25.West Wales area. If there is, it's very limited. Me, playing in the
:19:25. > :19:28.League of Wales with Carmarthen was my showcase. That was the only
:19:29. > :19:33.place I could play on the off chance there would be scouts going
:19:33. > :19:36.to watch because it was the highest league in Wales. For me, Carmarthen
:19:36. > :19:41.was my steppingstone to play professional football and
:19:41. > :19:49.international football. How strong is the League? Clubs are struggling
:19:49. > :19:53.to survive on gate recipe -- receipts alone. The Football
:19:53. > :19:56.Association of Wales will try to help clubs by make an investment in
:19:56. > :20:02.so-called third generation all weather pitches. You are the man
:20:02. > :20:06.who runs the Welsh Premier League, how sustainable is it in its
:20:06. > :20:11.current format? Well, the investment in the League is
:20:11. > :20:16.�650,000 a year. That is more than doubled in the last four years. We
:20:16. > :20:23.are looking to 3G strategy which hopefully will make clubs more
:20:23. > :20:26.community-based and community hubs to give it more of an identity and
:20:26. > :20:30.sustainability. People are sick and tired of playing the teams over and
:20:30. > :20:35.over again with the format it is. The attendencies went up initially
:20:35. > :20:39.with the introduction of the Super 12 went down to what they were
:20:39. > :20:44.before. The average attendance this season 285? The attendances aren't
:20:44. > :20:49.good enough. The standard of play deserves better support. You are
:20:49. > :20:53.also asking about the Super 12 format. We are in the process at
:20:53. > :20:57.the moment of developing a strategy with our clubs, with our stake
:20:57. > :21:02.holders, and only one club mentioned they would prefer 16
:21:02. > :21:07.format. Many clubs need more cash if the league is to thrive. You
:21:07. > :21:11.only get �15,000 in prize money for winning it. Now the National
:21:11. > :21:14.Assembly has got involved, held an inquiry and made recommendations
:21:14. > :21:18.but no promises of major financial support. The Government are happy
:21:18. > :21:21.to take on the recommendation that is apply to them. Recommendations
:21:21. > :21:25.they should talk with the FAW, particularly around the community
:21:25. > :21:30.hub. Money is tight. Therefore, it's about making the best of money
:21:30. > :21:33.that is available to get the best outcomes. The FAW say they are
:21:33. > :21:36.disappointed the money is not match-funded is there any money
:21:36. > :21:39.from the Welsh Assembly? There is money for the sport. How much?
:21:39. > :21:45.don't know the figures. There is money there. It's careful use of
:21:45. > :21:49.that. It's good sensible use as well. It is not saying, there is
:21:49. > :21:59.Government money, off you go. It's saying, there a pot of money. How
:21:59. > :22:03.
:22:03. > :22:09.can we get the best interest for everybody. Was it really worth be
:22:09. > :22:16.successful in the first place? were unfortunate getting into
:22:16. > :22:22.Europe. We drew. The trip had huge costs. We had to (inaudible) which
:22:22. > :22:29.cost money as well. We made a loss on what we got from UEFA. So we
:22:29. > :22:35.really didn't make a penny. There are plenty of tales around Neath
:22:35. > :22:39.went bust after gambling on big signings and wages. Bury Town
:22:39. > :22:46.struggled to stay afloat as they were left locked out of their own
:22:46. > :22:52.ground for a time. There are success stories. TNS have equaled
:22:52. > :22:58.Barry's record of seven Welsh Premier titles. We have a business
:22:58. > :23:04.that runs 365 day as year. We take babies into mothers clubs. We have
:23:04. > :23:08.kids' play areas. We have bowling. We are the hub of the social area
:23:08. > :23:13.so people with hire out our place. People get married here. We hire
:23:13. > :23:17.out the pitch. We put that revenue together and it allows us to use
:23:17. > :23:22.that profit to fund a full-time football team. How realistic do you
:23:22. > :23:28.think it is that the next Gareth Bale, Joe Allen, whoever, is going
:23:28. > :23:31.to come from the Welsh Premier? have to be able to provide a
:23:31. > :23:35.football infrastructure for those talented players that perhaps
:23:35. > :23:43.haven't caught the eye of the Manchester Uniteds, but would still
:23:43. > :23:48.be great players and, possibly, turn into Ryan Giggs' or Gareth
:23:48. > :23:50.Bale's if they had support. Clubs are trying to reach out to
:23:50. > :23:59.youngsters in their local communities. The Assembly and the
:23:59. > :24:04.FAW want to see more of what Rhyl are doing. The power of football is
:24:04. > :24:08.immense. Every English football club in the Premier League run a
:24:08. > :24:12.community programme. I think it's got to be the way forward for Welsh
:24:12. > :24:20.Premier League football clubs. can the most talented youngsters
:24:20. > :24:25.make the grade here? Before becoming part of the senior Wales
:24:25. > :24:27.setup this man managed in the league. A young player in Wales
:24:27. > :24:32.will have the opportunity to progress in some shape or form.
:24:32. > :24:38.Obviously, if they are picked up by the professional clubs, be it
:24:38. > :24:42.Wrexham, Newport County, Cardiff City or Swansea, they are in the
:24:42. > :24:45.system from the beginning. If they are not, we have the 12 Welsh
:24:45. > :24:50.Premier League academies that are funded by UEFA, because of their
:24:50. > :24:54.membership in the National League. Below that, there is excellent work
:24:55. > :24:59.being done by clubs who don't get that funding, but still think it's
:24:59. > :25:03.important to develop players in their community and their area.
:25:03. > :25:07.realistic is it that those young players could end up playing one
:25:07. > :25:13.day in the Premier League and for Wales? There are improvements to be
:25:13. > :25:17.made, the structure is in place to allow young players to centre that
:25:17. > :25:21.opportunity. While the opportunity is there, it seems likely the most
:25:21. > :25:24.talented youngsters would choose Swansea over the New Saints,
:25:24. > :25:31.Cardiff City over Carmarthen Town, even if there are plenty who
:25:31. > :25:35.started in the Welsh League and made it to the football league in
:25:35. > :25:39.the end. Gareth Bale, Bellamy's and Ryan Giggs will get there. They
:25:39. > :25:44.don't need that stepping stone. They will get picked up. The likes
:25:44. > :25:51.of people of my ability, that need the League of Wales, they need
:25:52. > :25:55.grassroots football to get there. Well, we have just seen a piece
:25:55. > :25:59.there on the League of Wales, how important is that league for Welsh
:25:59. > :26:04.football? It's important for Welsh people that they have their own
:26:04. > :26:12.Welsh league. The big thing, for me, is how to develop and how to make
:26:12. > :26:14.that league longer. I think only TTNS are the full-time side in that
:26:15. > :26:18.division. Probably, while that is still the case, there is not going
:26:18. > :26:23.to be the interest that maybe there should be. It's difficult for all
:26:23. > :26:27.the clubs now because professional clubs have got such a network of
:26:27. > :26:31.scouts out there that the best players will get, at a young age,
:26:31. > :26:36.will be taken from the local communities, from Community Clubs.
:26:36. > :26:39.I echo the fact it's massively important for the whole Welsh
:26:39. > :26:43.community, if you like, for the population of Wales to have their
:26:43. > :26:49.own league. I have a question mark, how much does it, in terms of
:26:49. > :26:54.making any impact on the prafgsal game? Let us talk about Wrexham and
:26:54. > :27:00.Newport. What a season it has been for both clubs. What do you see
:27:00. > :27:04.happening? A tough one to call. Delighted that they have both
:27:04. > :27:07.secured their play-off positions. I think they will both be slightly
:27:08. > :27:13.disappointed that they haven'ted a had more of a push towards that top
:27:13. > :27:23.spot in the Blue Square. Now, it's all about gaining momentum, going
:27:23. > :27:29.into the two legged semi-final. Mansfield look like winning the
:27:29. > :27:35.league, Grimsby, I can't see anyone else knocking into that top five.
:27:35. > :27:38.Everyone is hoping one of them gets up. It's not over and done and
:27:38. > :27:42.dusted. With kid minister in there as well and Grimsby Town it will be
:27:42. > :27:45.a fight to the end. They will forgive me for saying that maybe
:27:45. > :27:50.the automatic spot has gone. It would be nice to see one of them
:27:50. > :27:54.come through and get back into the League and underline how the upward
:27:54. > :27:57.curve Welsh football is on to make sure one of them gets in there.
:27:57. > :28:02.Thank you both very much for joining us on Sport Wales. That is
:28:02. > :28:08.it for this week. Best of luck to Cardiff City against Nottingham
:28:08. > :28:12.Forest tomorrow. We leave you with this, Rio Ferdinand thought that
:28:12. > :28:21.David Marshall's save against Watford last Saturday was the best
:28:21. > :28:25.since Banks banks at the 1970 World Cup. We will enjoy that again and
:28:25. > :28:34.leave you some great Welsh moments. leave you some great Welsh moments.