Wales Euro 2016

Well you would think that population would matter - as there's more to pick from!! but lets face it some sides defy that logic. Possibly the biggest sporting example of this is in rugby - the All Blacks (NZ 4.5million) who to my knowledge have just about always been the best in the world! In football terms we have to say that Wales are punching above their weight with our 3 million 'to pick from'. But compared to Iceland with just a third of a million (therefore less people than Cardiff!!) even Wales is quite populated. Unfortunately from the opposite perspective I'm sure fans of the English team who have had greater expectations with a population of 55 million!!

Football is not a minority sport in Wales. It is the most popular based on participation. Cardiff City and Swansea City attract crowds which comfortably exceed the 4 Welsh region rugby teams. It is also a national game with players from all parts of Wales. eg Hennessey from Anglesey, Taylor Wrexham, Allen Pembroke etc. Utter nonsense to suggest minority sport. Only in narrow minded Wales could such an absurd comment be made.

I'm sure you're not saying that I said that, as I completely agree with you! If ever there was a doubt about that I think Euro 2016 proves just how well supported our national football team is. I'm not anti rugby - I love it! but participation in playing football and the number of people that actually go to watch football in Wales compared to rugby is massive. Whatever happens on friday, football in Wales has received a massive boost by our success in France and the lead up to it. When it is said the National sport of Wales is rugby it's just not accurate. It's not one against the other though I want great success in both!! C'mon Wales!

I don't think size matters as much as population. Wales has only a population of 3 million and football is a minority sport. Belgium is at 11.25 million and I don't think they have any other major sporting interest, although they produce some good tennis players and cyclists. Still, nowhere near the resources of say England, Germany or Italy.

I just hope they go back to playing like a group of talented individuals rather than a team when they face Wales!

you normally talk sense but that is just plain stupid. rugby would love to have the participation and numbers of spectators that football gets on a regular basis. 70,000 turning up 5 time a year to get pissed doesn't make rugby a national sport

you normally talk sense but that is just plain stupid. rugby would love to have the participation and numbers of spectators that football gets on a regular basis. 70,000 turning up 5 time a year to get pissed doesn't make rugby a national sport

No, 70000 odd pissheads turning up for an event doesn't make something a national sport, but it sure helps when the WRU owns the National Stadium and can regularly fill it, even when we all know that Wales is going to get a 40-point stuffing (i.e. every time New Zealand come to town).

Last year the FAW made something like 20k profit and don’t even have the funds to build their own home stadium! The Welsh football team didn't play its first international at the old National Stadium in Cardiff until 1989 (a nil-nil draw against West Germany). Contrast that with the WRU or England and Scotland, which have between them Wembley, Hampden Park, Twickenham and Murrayfield for football and rugby respectively. Given the FAW was founded 5 years before the WRU, what have they been doing if football is so significant in Wales?

Let's face it, everyone is proud of what Wales is doing now, but crowd attendances for Welsh football internationals have been utterly dismal in recent years to the point where the FAW had to stop borrowing the Millennium/Principality Stadium because the empty stands were embarrassing. The last time the FAW managed to fill that was when Wales hosted England for a World Cup qualifier. The noise of “God Save the Queen” was deafening, that’s how many English fans could get tickets for an “away” game! That's why I was really pleased the FAW offered the Euro tickets to their loyal fans, not the event-goers!

I see Cardiff City promptly moth-balled their upper tier too, owing to a lack of ticket sales. Sure, the games are still better attended than most regional rugby matches, but then regional rugby has been a disaster all-round. Arguments surrounding that topic could rage for weeks on end!

Regarding participation figures, you may find that golf will beat both of them.

I don’t know why football fans find this so sensitive (reflected on other forums), but let’s face facts. Sure, a lot of people may enjoy and be very passionate about football in Wales, but it’s still second to rugby in the national psyche. I think most people outside of Wales would probably agree too.

its hardly football fans being sensitive. its just stating facts. other than when wales play an international few people watch or play rugby.

you really cant compare wales attendances in qualifiers with wales attendances in six nations. the football team have seen up to 50000 in france - that is phenomenal and shows the latent support for the football team.

i really cant see your point about the FAW not owning their own ground. few football associations do. put it this way, swansea city dont own their own ground, neither do west ham united, scotland or germany!

if you walk the parks on a saturday and sunday you will see football matches outnumber rugby significantly. you will see football watched on tv much more than rugby and you will see attendances at club football double if not treble or quadruple club rugby. the only time rugby surpasses football is on the nternational stage and most of those fans forget about the game the second the final whistle blows. its all about wales having some chance of success.

to rugby fans the welsh psyche may be about rugby, but thats rugby fans and the rugby bias media. the reality outside of this small clique is the typical welshman has no interest in rugby unless wales are playing.

I don't think either is the national sport personally.

There are arguments on both sides but when compared with how obsessive other nations can
be about a particular sport I don't see how we can say we even have one.

Football unites Wales in a way that nothing else does.
In France you see flags from every far flung corner of Wales, boys from the Docks standing shoulder to shoulder with Welsh speakers from Gwynedd.
Where else would you see that?



Rugby is the sport of the establishment.
Football is the game of the people.

The point about the ground is that the union is able to make such an investment and claim the title of "national" stadium because of the support it recieves. I think that is significant when you see our neighbours (other founding football associations) having dedicated stadia for national football. We simply don't have that in Wales and we've never had it.

I think a lot of the 50,000 you suggest are out in France are out there because they're supporting Wales and it's such a novelty that we're in a major tournament. Even I've thought about going out to watch it and I find watching football as boring as watching paint dry. Let's be honest, it's fantastic for Wales in many ways on and off the pitch.

Playing football, however, is a lot more fun and rather play football at my age as I'm less likely to have a serious injury. I imagine a lot of people feel the same. In many ways football is more accessible. It's easy to have a kick-around, use some jumpers as goals and play 5 a side. Rugby is too technical.

But I think we may just have to respectfully agree to disagree as to which is more popular.

Football unites Wales in a way that nothing else does.
In France you see flags from every far flung corner of Wales, boys from the Docks standing shoulder to shoulder with Welsh speakers from Gwynedd.
Where else would you see that?

Clearly you've never been to a rugby international, especially one away from home.

This idea that rugby is forced upon the people is just bullshit. Welsh people have had plenty of opportunity to support the Welsh national team in the past and they haven't bothered.