| The most popular sport in Wales 03:22 - Jun 1 with 1814 views | KeithHaynes |
From the FAW.
Football has been confirmed as the number one sport in Wales following the publication of an independent report by Nielsen, a global leader in audience research.
Football interest has continued to increase since research in Wales was first conducted in 2016. However, for the first time, football is now the number one interest sport in Wales and continues to be the number one participation sport for children and adults.
Nielsen conducted the research in Wales during April 2022 using standard methodologies on behalf of UEFA. The research is conducted every two years and provides an accurate assessment of Welsh football through a nationally representative sample of the 18+ population based on age, gender and region.
The research also shows that interest in the Cymru international teams continues to grow, with a notable increase in Women’s National Team interest that has doubled since 2016.
The research also provides a European benchmark to show how the FAW and Welsh Football performs in comparison to sports and organisations in other countries. Once again, both perform very well against the benchmark and in much of the report, well above it.
The research also provides the FAW with insights on areas where awareness and interest may have decreased so that focus can be provided to rectify the observations.
Noel Mooney, FAW Chief Executive, said: “On the whole this report is very positive and I’m incredibly pleased to see that the game which we are entrusted to run is now the number one interest sport in the country.
“This independent report is testament to hard work of FAW employees, Area Associations, Leagues, Clubs and volunteers right across the country who raise awareness, interest and perceptions of our wonderful game.
“In conjunction with our strategic aims for Welsh football, this research provides us with insights on where we can continue to grow and what areas we need to focus on for improvement.”
The independent National Association Research, conducted by Nielsen on behalf of UEFA, can be downloaded below.
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| The most popular sport in Wales on 06:05 - Jun 1 with 1761 views | Dr_Winston |
Has been for a long time if people bothered to look at the actual numbers. Thousands of drunken idiots congregating five or six times a year does not a National sport make, no matter what the BBC would have you believe.
Far more participants and spectators for football at basically every level of the game. Significantly more football clubs registered with the FAW than Rugby clubs with the WRU. None of that even begins to consider the geographical disparity. Rugby is an almost total afterthought in North Wales. The growth of Women's football will only widen the gap . |  |
| Pain or damage don't end the world. Or despair, or f*cking beatings. The world ends when you're dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man... and give some back. |
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| The most popular sport in Wales on 07:01 - Jun 1 with 1759 views | Whiterockin |
I remember when I was in school we had no football team and rugby was the only team sport available, team football had to be played outside of school, the options were limited. Football pitches were had to come by and places like Ashleigh Road were mostly rugby pitches and if I remember only two football pitches. Now the vast majority of pitches are football. The RFU tried to keep football down to keep the supply of youngsters coming into rugby. IMO believe it or not, England winning the world cup started the change in Wales with the mass publicity it received, youngsters wanted emulate their heros and it filtered into Wales. Slowly but surely the tide turned, more football was played in Welsh schools and we at last had the option. Its been a long journey. |  | | |
| The most popular sport in Wales on 08:16 - Jun 1 with 1721 views | onehunglow |
| The most popular sport in Wales on 07:01 - Jun 1 by Whiterockin |
I remember when I was in school we had no football team and rugby was the only team sport available, team football had to be played outside of school, the options were limited. Football pitches were had to come by and places like Ashleigh Road were mostly rugby pitches and if I remember only two football pitches. Now the vast majority of pitches are football. The RFU tried to keep football down to keep the supply of youngsters coming into rugby. IMO believe it or not, England winning the world cup started the change in Wales with the mass publicity it received, youngsters wanted emulate their heros and it filtered into Wales. Slowly but surely the tide turned, more football was played in Welsh schools and we at last had the option. Its been a long journey. |
Make no mistake,football was outlawed in places like Bishop Gore Grammar.
It' s why we see many anti egg posts.
It's a good game though and through the wider sporting world Wales is seen a a Rugby country. Try convincing Saffies,Aussies or Kiwis anything different.
We need both to prosper. |  |
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| The most popular sport in Wales on 09:07 - Jun 1 with 1695 views | OptimisticJack |
| The most popular sport in Wales on 08:16 - Jun 1 by onehunglow |
Make no mistake,football was outlawed in places like Bishop Gore Grammar.
It' s why we see many anti egg posts.
It's a good game though and through the wider sporting world Wales is seen a a Rugby country. Try convincing Saffies,Aussies or Kiwis anything different.
We need both to prosper. |
Dynevor was exactly the same in the late 60s.
They did have a very good football team and on games day they would play apart from everyone else who were forced to play rugby.
If your preference was football ( like me) you had no choice and was forced to play rugby. I hated it.
Having been brought up in Brynhyfryd a hotbed for football I didn't see a rugby ball until I went to Dynevor | |
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| The most popular sport in Wales on 09:11 - Jun 1 with 1693 views | builthjack |
| The most popular sport in Wales on 08:16 - Jun 1 by onehunglow |
Make no mistake,football was outlawed in places like Bishop Gore Grammar.
It' s why we see many anti egg posts.
It's a good game though and through the wider sporting world Wales is seen a a Rugby country. Try convincing Saffies,Aussies or Kiwis anything different.
We need both to prosper. |
Rugby is played seriously in about a dozen or so countries, so yes Wales will always be in that top group, and be well known throughout those rugby playing countries.
Football is a worldwide sport played in well over 200 countries. Wales are well respected by all of those countries.
It's about time rugby was encouraged in other countries. The 6 nations is just that. 6 teams playing each other every single year. The Welsh BBC get off on it.
How about allowing a few more groups of 6, with promotion and relegation. They won't allow it .
It's a sport played by a few.
At grass roots level football is booming. Locally in Builth they have a great rugby set up, with hundreds of kids involved. But that's rare.
Locally in football, every town has a junior set up with hundreds involved. There are girls teams at 6 different age groups in most of the towns too.
Spectator wise, Locally anyway, besides Builth and 2 other clubs, you will struggle to see more than 20 watching rugby games.
Whereas if I watch local football, it's rarely below 100 watching.
So it's a no brainer. Football definitely the number 1 sport. [Post edited 1 Jun 2022 9:13]
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| Swansea Indepenent Poster Of The Year 2021. Dr P / Mart66 / Roathie / Parlay / E20/ Duffle was 2nd, but he is deluded and thinks in his little twisted brain that he won. Poor sod. We let him win this year, as he has cried for a whole year. His 14 usernames, bless his cotton socks.
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| The most popular sport in Wales on 09:18 - Jun 1 with 1682 views | onehunglow |
| The most popular sport in Wales on 09:11 - Jun 1 by builthjack |
Rugby is played seriously in about a dozen or so countries, so yes Wales will always be in that top group, and be well known throughout those rugby playing countries.
Football is a worldwide sport played in well over 200 countries. Wales are well respected by all of those countries.
It's about time rugby was encouraged in other countries. The 6 nations is just that. 6 teams playing each other every single year. The Welsh BBC get off on it.
How about allowing a few more groups of 6, with promotion and relegation. They won't allow it .
It's a sport played by a few.
At grass roots level football is booming. Locally in Builth they have a great rugby set up, with hundreds of kids involved. But that's rare.
Locally in football, every town has a junior set up with hundreds involved. There are girls teams at 6 different age groups in most of the towns too.
Spectator wise, Locally anyway, besides Builth and 2 other clubs, you will struggle to see more than 20 watching rugby games.
Whereas if I watch local football, it's rarely below 100 watching.
So it's a no brainer. Football definitely the number 1 sport. [Post edited 1 Jun 2022 9:13]
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Ken.
Thank you for that reply.
My point is that world wide Wales is ,rightly or wrongly seen a a rugby country.
This is not the case in towns like Wrexham or even Bangor and Caernarfon. I'm a Swansea man and know where the rugby areas of the Swansea areas were .Without doubt ,rugby was seen as a more gentlemanly game even if was/is/can be violent and dirty. Ive played on those types of games.
In the north Rugby League by far bigger apart from the more affluent towns.
My point is ,we can play both.
In football ,at the highest level,relatively few can hope to win the World Cup.. | |
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| The most popular sport in Wales on 09:22 - Jun 1 with 1680 views | nantywatcher |
I see the Welsh over 65's team have just won an international tournament in Zurich with seven straight wins over other competing countries. | | | |
| The most popular sport in Wales on 09:57 - Jun 1 with 1667 views | builthjack |
| The most popular sport in Wales on 09:18 - Jun 1 by onehunglow |
Ken.
Thank you for that reply.
My point is that world wide Wales is ,rightly or wrongly seen a a rugby country.
This is not the case in towns like Wrexham or even Bangor and Caernarfon. I'm a Swansea man and know where the rugby areas of the Swansea areas were .Without doubt ,rugby was seen as a more gentlemanly game even if was/is/can be violent and dirty. Ive played on those types of games.
In the north Rugby League by far bigger apart from the more affluent towns.
My point is ,we can play both.
In football ,at the highest level,relatively few can hope to win the World Cup.. |
In school I did football, rugby, cricket, and athletics. I wish they would do the same now. | |
| Swansea Indepenent Poster Of The Year 2021. Dr P / Mart66 / Roathie / Parlay / E20/ Duffle was 2nd, but he is deluded and thinks in his little twisted brain that he won. Poor sod. We let him win this year, as he has cried for a whole year. His 14 usernames, bless his cotton socks.
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| The most popular sport in Wales on 11:01 - Jun 1 with 1637 views | 1983 |
| The most popular sport in Wales on 06:05 - Jun 1 by Dr_Winston |
Has been for a long time if people bothered to look at the actual numbers. Thousands of drunken idiots congregating five or six times a year does not a National sport make, no matter what the BBC would have you believe.
Far more participants and spectators for football at basically every level of the game. Significantly more football clubs registered with the FAW than Rugby clubs with the WRU. None of that even begins to consider the geographical disparity. Rugby is an almost total afterthought in North Wales. The growth of Women's football will only widen the gap . |
Absolutely spot and on the people who do turn up for the 6 nations games dressed up as sheep and daffodils wouldn't know a rugby ball if it hit them in the face |  |
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| The most popular sport in Wales on 11:37 - Jun 1 with 1623 views | KeithHaynes |
| The most popular sport in Wales on 08:16 - Jun 1 by onehunglow |
Make no mistake,football was outlawed in places like Bishop Gore Grammar.
It' s why we see many anti egg posts.
It's a good game though and through the wider sporting world Wales is seen a a Rugby country. Try convincing Saffies,Aussies or Kiwis anything different.
We need both to prosper. |
As you know I’m a big rugby supporter, but rugby can never have equality with football, rugby is a minority sport, and the comparisons regards behaviour on the pitch are it’s only plus. Off it I’ve seen too many incidents for it have the recognition they boast. | |
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| The most popular sport in Wales on 12:01 - Jun 1 with 1608 views | onehunglow |
| The most popular sport in Wales on 09:57 - Jun 1 by builthjack |
In school I did football, rugby, cricket, and athletics. I wish they would do the same now. |
Ive done that Ken. Socially ,Rugby far better,IMO.
I was a member of New Brighton FC (RU) where I played very competitive squash for 20+ years. I am proud I was the first to be banned by the committee for bad behavior after a defeat. Hard to believe I know.
Now ,those years of playing with injuries have caught up with me so swimming is best for me now,although I just plough through the water now for fun.
As an aside,swimming at a fast pace,if one can do so,is by far the best exercise.
My son did a charity swim in the Amsterdam canal system along with the Queen ,amongst others. They were trained by a former Dutch Olympic Swimmer . He reckoned the difference between "strong" swimmers ,like me,and International swimmers,is the greatest gap in sport. It's why the athletes I find most awesome are Thorne and Phelps.
Any,I don't disagree with you Keith .
You going to Rugby World Cup next year | |
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| The most popular sport in Wales on 21:10 - Jun 1 with 1532 views | Dr_Winston |
Not sure why the misconceptions of the sporting public of the Southern Hemisphere counts as compelling evidence to support Rugby's status.
If the good people of Sydney thought that Cribbage was the National Sport of Wales regardless of all the evidence to the contrary we'd pay it no heed whatsoever and rightly so. | |
| Pain or damage don't end the world. Or despair, or f*cking beatings. The world ends when you're dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man... and give some back. |
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| The most popular sport in Wales on 10:33 - Jun 4 with 1382 views | Lorax |
| The most popular sport in Wales on 21:10 - Jun 1 by Dr_Winston |
Not sure why the misconceptions of the sporting public of the Southern Hemisphere counts as compelling evidence to support Rugby's status.
If the good people of Sydney thought that Cribbage was the National Sport of Wales regardless of all the evidence to the contrary we'd pay it no heed whatsoever and rightly so. |
To the best of my memory football has always been the best supported and most played sport in Swansea.
It was banned in my Primary school (Dunns Lane, Mumbles, it no longer exists) by an exuberant egger called Alan Davies, deputy head. Anyone fetching a round ball in was instantly in trouble.
Looking at the Swansea league though, we had the second biggest in the UK at one time and there were always a lot more football pitches than rugby pitches and they were always in use, even midweek during the early and late part of the season because many games were called off around Christmas.
I'd often play 3 games a week, a midweek game then Saturday and Sunday games.
Wales has always had better support for international rugby than football though, maybe that is partially down to the historical problems between us and Cardiff?
Mind you, rugby is very tribal at a smaller level. By that I mean people from all across south west Wales will follow the Swans yet when regional rugby started there's still a lot in Neath who won't go near the Ospreys.
I know Swansea and Cardiff could never merge but both our football clubs are bigger than our rugby clubs and the history is just too, fraught! | | | |
| The most popular sport in Wales on 14:20 - Jun 4 with 1343 views | onehunglow |
| The most popular sport in Wales on 10:33 - Jun 4 by Lorax |
To the best of my memory football has always been the best supported and most played sport in Swansea.
It was banned in my Primary school (Dunns Lane, Mumbles, it no longer exists) by an exuberant egger called Alan Davies, deputy head. Anyone fetching a round ball in was instantly in trouble.
Looking at the Swansea league though, we had the second biggest in the UK at one time and there were always a lot more football pitches than rugby pitches and they were always in use, even midweek during the early and late part of the season because many games were called off around Christmas.
I'd often play 3 games a week, a midweek game then Saturday and Sunday games.
Wales has always had better support for international rugby than football though, maybe that is partially down to the historical problems between us and Cardiff?
Mind you, rugby is very tribal at a smaller level. By that I mean people from all across south west Wales will follow the Swans yet when regional rugby started there's still a lot in Neath who won't go near the Ospreys.
I know Swansea and Cardiff could never merge but both our football clubs are bigger than our rugby clubs and the history is just too, fraught! |
Very good post,Cat.
I was cursed at being able to play both and to be handy at both although quite small as a kid.
Both t Helens and Vetch had their own atmospheres.
They were and should be revered | |
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| The most popular sport in Wales on 09:49 - Jun 5 with 1282 views | 73__73 |
Professionalism has killed rugby at local level.
Before professionalism local players played for their local clubs which contributed to some great local rivalries between towns and villages especially throughout South Wales.
My local rugby club was one of the top clubs in west wales before professionalism and would regularly attract over 1,000 a game not bad for a small place.
Last time I saw them play a few years ago hardly anyone was watching.
Almost every village and town had a vibrant rugby club house which would be packed, now many have closed or open part time.
Football comes from a slightly different angle. Even in a place like Llanelli which is renowned as a rugby town, but has much more football clubs than rugby clubs.
Rugby in the past wasn’t just about 80 minutes, there was a real community aspect to it.
Sadly from what I can see that has now gone. | |
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| The most popular sport in Wales on 10:18 - Jun 5 with 1267 views | onehunglow |
| The most popular sport in Wales on 09:49 - Jun 5 by 73__73 |
Professionalism has killed rugby at local level.
Before professionalism local players played for their local clubs which contributed to some great local rivalries between towns and villages especially throughout South Wales.
My local rugby club was one of the top clubs in west wales before professionalism and would regularly attract over 1,000 a game not bad for a small place.
Last time I saw them play a few years ago hardly anyone was watching.
Almost every village and town had a vibrant rugby club house which would be packed, now many have closed or open part time.
Football comes from a slightly different angle. Even in a place like Llanelli which is renowned as a rugby town, but has much more football clubs than rugby clubs.
Rugby in the past wasn’t just about 80 minutes, there was a real community aspect to it.
Sadly from what I can see that has now gone. |
That is a very very good post indeed.
One thing for sure. Wales ha won nothing at football .
All the "glory" has been with the oval ball | |
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| The most popular sport in Wales on 10:33 - Jun 5 with 1250 views | controversial_jack |
| The most popular sport in Wales on 12:01 - Jun 1 by onehunglow |
Ive done that Ken. Socially ,Rugby far better,IMO.
I was a member of New Brighton FC (RU) where I played very competitive squash for 20+ years. I am proud I was the first to be banned by the committee for bad behavior after a defeat. Hard to believe I know.
Now ,those years of playing with injuries have caught up with me so swimming is best for me now,although I just plough through the water now for fun.
As an aside,swimming at a fast pace,if one can do so,is by far the best exercise.
My son did a charity swim in the Amsterdam canal system along with the Queen ,amongst others. They were trained by a former Dutch Olympic Swimmer . He reckoned the difference between "strong" swimmers ,like me,and International swimmers,is the greatest gap in sport. It's why the athletes I find most awesome are Thorne and Phelps.
Any,I don't disagree with you Keith .
You going to Rugby World Cup next year |
Swimming is excellent, very demanding and very technical, however it puts smaller ppl at a disadvantage. A lot is down to natural buoyancy. I hear of many men that have sinking legs. This is because smaller men have shorter upper legs and therefore have a short lever trying to work a longer one, where it should be the way around. This is why so many can't get the front crawl kick to work for them no matter how hard they train.This is probably the reason why the best swimmers are tall ppl | | | |
| The most popular sport in Wales on 10:40 - Jun 5 with 1244 views | onehunglow |
| The most popular sport in Wales on 10:33 - Jun 5 by controversial_jack |
Swimming is excellent, very demanding and very technical, however it puts smaller ppl at a disadvantage. A lot is down to natural buoyancy. I hear of many men that have sinking legs. This is because smaller men have shorter upper legs and therefore have a short lever trying to work a longer one, where it should be the way around. This is why so many can't get the front crawl kick to work for them no matter how hard they train.This is probably the reason why the best swimmers are tall ppl |
Morning
I went to school with Pete Jones.(PJ Surf shop) in Llangenith.
He was pretty tiny but a staggering swimmer.
At 72 ,he still looks like he is.
It's the best form of exercise IMO. | |
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| The most popular sport in Wales on 13:19 - Jun 5 with 1194 views | 73__73 |
Football the number one sport in wales ? In terms of participation yes I’d agree.
In terms of the impact on wales and on the welsh psyche, then it has to be rugby. | |
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| The most popular sport in Wales on 14:21 - Jun 5 with 1171 views | onehunglow |
| The most popular sport in Wales on 13:19 - Jun 5 by 73__73 |
Football the number one sport in wales ? In terms of participation yes I’d agree.
In terms of the impact on wales and on the welsh psyche, then it has to be rugby. |
If Angling is cast as such then it is possibly that. | |
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| The most popular sport in Wales on 19:12 - Jun 5 with 1108 views | felixstowe_jack |
| The most popular sport in Wales on 14:21 - Jun 5 by onehunglow |
If Angling is cast as such then it is possibly that. |
Angling is hardly a sport more of a hobby. A sport is a contest between two teams or two individuals. Angling is man against fish. | |
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| The most popular sport in Wales on 19:48 - Jun 5 with 1080 views | onehunglow |
| The most popular sport in Wales on 19:12 - Jun 5 by felixstowe_jack |
Angling is hardly a sport more of a hobby. A sport is a contest between two teams or two individuals. Angling is man against fish. |
It's a matter of interpretation but I would argue worthy of debate.
So thank you for the reply. | |
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