- 15/02/2016
- Posted by: Mike Hedges MS
- Category: Uncategorized
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| 17:29 – Mike Hedges |
| Last time Wales played in a major football tournament, I was one—probably most people in this room weren’t alive. As someone who has been a lifelong sports fan, especially football, I am very excited that Wales have qualified for a major tournament. Who else in here is haunted by Paul Bodin missing a penalty, Joe Jordan handling the ball, or the lights going out at the Vetch Field when Wales were beating Iceland? |
| First, can I deal with the provision of fanzones? I expect the Castle Square area of Swansea to show all the Wales games, as it has shown all major sporting events. I have actually spoken to Swansea City to ask them to consider opening the ground and showing the matches on the big screens that are there. A fanzone in a football ground will probably be the best place to have them. I would be amazed if the Presiding Officer, whoever it happens to be at the time, does not arrange a party, either at the going away or coming back of the team, hopefully after getting very far in the tournament. |
| We do need major events in Wales. One of the achievements of this National Assembly—and dare I say it, the Welsh Government—is that we have had more major events in Wales since devolution than we did before. What is achievable? Everyone has their own view of what major events are. I would argue that Wales has 19 major sporting events every year—every Premier League game that Swansea City play. World interest in the premiership is phenomenal. In some parts of the world, Swansea City is better known than Wales because of the reach of the premiership. Key competitions to have are the finals of the Champions League and the Europa league. Of course, the Champions League is coming to Cardiff in 2017—a huge achievement. Surely the Welsh football association and the Welsh Government need congratulating on having the Champions League final. |
| Of course, if you want major sporting events, you need the infrastructure. That is why keeping Cardiff Wales airport as an airport is so important. Put simply, no airport equals no major sporting events. |
| Turning to the Commonwealth Games, regarding the Commonwealth Games, there are, really, two initial questions: how much would it cost, and how are you going to pay for it? While each Commonwealth Games costs a different amount, and sometimes the costs are extremely opaque, we know that, according to ‘The Independent’, Manchester cost £300 million, and Glasgow, according to ‘The Daily Telegraph’, cost £400 million. If Wales bids, it’s almost certain to be successful. The days of multiple bidders for the Commonwealth Games appear to be over. How would it be paid for? Do we take it off the education or health budgets? Of course, there is a simple way of paying for it: give Wales the Barnett consequential of the London Olympics. That would give Wales approximately 5.4 per cent of the estimated £9 billion for the London Olympics, giving us almost £500 million, less the £20 million we’ve had, which would be enough. |
| Turning to where in Wales to host these games, as the Commonwealth Games—like the Olympics—are given to a city, not a country, why not Swansea—Wales’s premier sporting city, Wales’s top football team, Wales’s top rugby team? Whilst the events would be held across Wales, Swansea should be the lead city. It has been to Cardiff; it is now the turn of Swansea. |
