Why we should all support the Welsh teams in Europe this summer

Daniel Roberts

Seeing the Euros taking place without Welsh representation is a grim experience for everyone who had grown so used to it after 2021 and, of course, 2016.

But it doesn’t have to be. Wales will have four teams representing us against European opposition in club football this summer. TNS, Connah’s Quay Nomads, Bala Town and Caernarfon Town – for them, this summer has the potential to be as memorable as Euro 2016 was.

As an avid football fan, I made the decision last summer to make a real effort to get into our own football league, the Cymru Premier. It’s been brilliant.

I’ve honestly been surprised at the level of quality on show across the league. There are great players, managers and fanbases in Welsh football. For me, the best storyline has been the battle to decide who will represent Wales in Europe.

Haverfordwest’s inspiring story
My journey with the domestic game really kicked off with the European games last year. There’s no surprise I was hooked straight away, because Haverfordwest County’s story was inspirational.

For the first time in their history, they got a win in Europe. They beat KF Shkëndija of North Macedonia in front of a big crowd at the Cardiff City Stadium.

The players gave absolutely everything on the pitch to earn that win, and it is one of the most memorable games of football I’ve ever seen. The club produced a brilliant documentary about it, which you can watch below.

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For the whole of last season, I was fascinated by seeing who would get the opportunity to be the next team to fly the flag for Wales in Europe.
TNS won the league comfortably, the Nomads wrapped up the 2nd automatic spot shortly after, followed by Bala Town. Caernarfon won the final spot in a hugely dramatic Play-Off win over Penybont.

All of these teams deserve the spotlight over the summer.

The New Saints
It’s fair to say that TNS are not the easiest team to support for many in Wales. They’re based just over the border in England, and win the league at a canter most years, with significant money behind them.

But there’s a consensus that we need them to win in Europe this year. It would be a major boost to the league if we could get a team to the group stages of European competition – and TNS have the quality to make that happen.

And while they may be based slightly outside of Wales, to me they are a Welsh institution.

It would be brilliant to see their core of Welsh players like goalkeeper Connor Roberts, quality midfielder Leo Smith and young playmaker Daniel Williams – supplemented by the addition of last year’s Cymru Premier Player of the Year, Sion Bradley – doing well in European competition.

They faced FK Dečić, the champions of Montenegro on Tuesday evening and won 3-0.

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Connah’s Quay Nomads
The Nomads have written inspirational stories in Europe before. They knocked out Scotland’s Kilmarnock in 2019, with a ridiculously impressive 2-0 away win earning one of the most historic results in the league’s history.

They showed that spirit again in April, when they won the Welsh Cup final in Newport with a 2-1 win over TNS. There is no doubt they have it in them to create more history this month.

They recorded a fantastic 1-0 away victory against NK Bravo of Slovenia in the UEFA Conference League 1st Qualifying Round this evening!

Bala Town
Bala are a really impressive team who have consistently qualified for Europe in recent years. They secured their spot by taking the last available automatic spot in the league, but have had quite a big overhaul of their squad.

Their signings this summer have been really interesting – they’ve brought back former players who are well known in the league, but also signed people from across the UK.

They must have really strong scouting or networks to bring these players in, and it shows the level of innovation you need to be a successful football club.

They have got Paide Linnameeskond, a team from Estonia.

Update: Sadly Bala lost in a thriller 2-1

Caernarfon Town
I try not to be biased – I don’t have a specific team I follow or support in the league – but I was really happy to see Caernarfon qualify to represent Wales in Europe.

The Cofi Army, their brilliant group of supporters, is what football is all about. The connection the club has with the town and the fans, and the identity they represent, is what makes people so passionate about football.

Don’t let that be a distraction from why they qualified though. They did it because they are an excellent team on the pitch.

Throughout the whole season they were one of the most exciting teams to watch, and made scoring goals look easy.

They’ve got quality, technical players like the ‘Cofi Messi’, Darren Thomas, one of the hardest-working, strongest players I’ve seen in Morgan Owen, and Cymru C midfielder Danny Gossett.

This team of local heroes have won the right to put their town on the map, in Europe, but also in Wales itself.

Caernarfon is a unique place. The language, the history and the Cofi identity deserve their moment in the spotlight and it’s only through football that could have happened.

They face the Crusaders, a team from Belfast. It will be a really tough game, but you know Caernarfon will give everything to create even more history.

Update: Caernarfon won 2-0!

Get involved
While I’m only a recent convert to following and supporting Welsh domestic football, others have been doing it for years.

Across the country, clubs are dependent on an army of fans and volunteers to put in so much effort to ensure we have clubs and a football league to be proud of.

They deserve the spotlight, and our support, more than anyone.

The FAW recently published a new strategy to grow the domestic game in Wales. There is a widely-held belief that the game can and will grow to become much more of an institution in Welsh life, and we are at the start of that journey now. So I really encourage people to get involved.

We are really lucky to have Sgorio, S4C’s football programme, who produce high-quality content around the league.

I’ve used social media a lot. Follow the clubs, follow the fans who talk about the league, and create your own Welsh football ecosystem. We’re competing with the richest league and clubs in the world over the border. You can follow both – I do – but you need to make your own space to follow the Welsh system. It’s worth the effort, I promise.

I’ve made my own Twitter account to talk about and follow the league – @CaruPelDroedCym, or the Cymru Premier Enjoyer. It’s been a lot of fun.

But fundamentally, the best thing you can do is to go to matches. Whether that’s the European games coming up or the new season that is about to start. It’s accessible, a lot cheaper than the English league, and it’s Welsh.

Our communities competing to represent us in Europe. I love it, and I think a lot more people will too.