Sport in Wales
Encyclopedia
The most popular sports in Wales
are rugby union
and football. Like the other countries of the United Kingdom
, Wales enjoys independent representation in major world sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup
, Rugby World Cup
and in the Commonwealth Games
, but competes as part of England in cricket and Great Britain
in many others, including the Olympics.
The Millennium Stadium
is the country's national stadium
. Located in Cardiff
, it is the home of the Wales national rugby union team
and the Wales national football team
with a capacity of 74,500. It was the temporary location for English football
and rugby league
finals during the redevelopment of Wembley Stadium
.
Sport Wales is responsible for sport in Wales.
In 2008/09, Cardiff had the highest percentage (61%) of residents who regularly participated in sport and active recreation out of all 22 local authorities in Wales, whereas Rhondda Cynon Taf had the lowest (24%).
(sometimes spelt Knapan or Knappan) is a Celt
ic form of medieval football, vaguely resembling some modern versions of rugby football
, played in Wales until the nineteenth century. It may be a forerunner to modern rugby union
. The game originated in, and seems to have remained largely confined to, the western counties of Wales, especially Carmarthenshire
, Ceredigion
and Pembrokeshire
. According to George Owen of Henllys, in his Description of Pembrokeshire (1603), cnapan had been "extremely popular in Pembrokeshire since greate antiquitie[sic] ".
Another traditional sport, once favoured in Glamorgan, is Bando
; an early form of hockey.
, rugby union is popular. The Encyclopedia of Wales describes the sport as "seen by many as a symbol of Welsh identity and an expression of national consciousness".
The professional era has seen major and controversial changes in the traditional structure of club rugby in Wales. Wales now shares a single top flight rugby structure with Scotland
and Ireland
, the Celtic League
. Wales is represented by four regional teams that also take part in the Heineken Cup
, the European Challenge Cup
, and the Anglo-Welsh Cup.
The Welsh national rugby union team
takes part in the annual Six Nations Championship
, and the Rugby World Cup
. The country's sevens national team
currently holds the Melrose Cup as winners of the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens
, and is one of the 12 "core teams" in the annual IRB Sevens World Series
.
. It runs the national teams, the recreational game and the main cup competitions.
Football developed in the late 19th century in Wales, initially more popular as a sport in north Wales. The most successful teams are Cardiff City
, Swansea City
, Newport County
and Wrexham. Cardiff City are the most successful having won the FA Cup
in 1927 and spent 15 seasons in the top-flight First Division
. Swansea City have also played in the top flight, playing two consecutive seasons in the early 1980s and won promotion to the Premier League in 2011. Newport County have played in the second-tier Second Division
and reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup
. Wrexham, one of the oldest surviving football teams in Britain have won the Welsh Cup 23 teams and also reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup. The now-defunct Merthyr Tydfil
also won the Welsh Cup on three occasions.
The Welsh football league system
has been headed since 1992 by the Welsh Premier League. The feeder leagues into the Welsh Premier League are the Cymru Alliance
in the north, and the Welsh Football League
in the south. The main Cup competitions in Wales are the Welsh Cup
and the Welsh League Cup
. However, for historical reasons, six Welsh clubs (Cardiff City, Swansea City, Wrexham, Newport County, Colwyn Bay
and the reformed Merthyr Town
) play in the English Football League
and its feeder leagues.
who is a former world record holder and the winner of numerous Olympic, World and European medals. Marathoner Steve Jones
set the world record for the marathon in Chicago in 1984 with a time of 2:08:05. He also won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth games in the 10,000m in 1986.
The Isle of Anglesey
/Ynys Môn is a member island of the International Island Games Association
. In the 2005 Games, held on the Shetland Islands, the Isle of Anglesey/Ynys Môn came 11th on the medal table with 4 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals.
, particularly in the South Wales Valleys, with fighters such as Tommy Farr
, Freddie Welsh
, Jimmy Wilde
, Dai Dower
and Johnny Owen
all competing at the highest level. Joe Calzaghe
, born in London to a Welsh mother and Italian father and raised in Newbridge, retired in 2009 as an unbeaten world champion. Other former world champions include Enzo Maccarinelli
, Gavin Rees
, Howard Winstone
, Jim Driscoll
, Steve Robinson and Robbie Regan
.
, England and Wales field a single representative team in international competition which is administered by the England and Wales Cricket Board
(ECB). There is a separate Wales team that occasionally participates in limited-overs domestic competition. English Wicket keeper Geraint Jones
is originally from Wales. A Wales team also plays in the English Minor Counties competition.
Cricket
is one of the most popular summer sports within Wales.
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
is the only Welsh participant in the England and Wales County Championship.
, golf
has a tradition in Wales stretching back to the late 19th century. The first recognised golf courses were constructed in Wales in the 1880s, though a short course was built in Pontnewydd in Cwmbran in 1875. Most of these early courses were built on coastal common land, including Tenby
(1880), Borth
and Ynyslas
(1885), Conwy
1890 and Penarth
1890. As tourism developed in Wales, the golf clubs helped attract visitors, which was further advertised by the newly constructed passenger rail links.
The first amateur golf championship was held at Aberdovey in 1895, and nine years later the first professional championship was at Radyr
in Cardiff. In Wales, golf was open to both men and women from its earliest beginnings, with the Welsh Ladies' Golf Union founded in 1904. Despite the openness of the sport to both sexes, it was still considered elitist by many in Wales, and essentially an English past time.
As living standards improved during the 20th century, golf began to lose its elitist label, and was embraced by all sections of society. Dai Rees
was one of the first successful Welsh golfers, captaining a winning European Ryder Cup
team in 1957. Wales has won the golfing World Cup on two occasions, with the pairing of David Llewellyn
and Ian Woosnam
lifting the trophy in Hawaii in 1987, and again in 2005, with Stephen Dodd
and Bradley Dredge
winning in Portugal. Woosnam then followed countryman Rees' achievement when he led Europe to victory against the USA in the 2006 Ryder Cup.
The Celtic Manor Resort
in Newport, South Wales was the venue for the 2010 Ryder Cup
; the first time the event was held in Wales. Europe beat the USA by 14.5 points to 13.5 in one of the most dramatic finishes to the tournament in recent years. The event also made history by becoming the first Ryder Cup to stretch over four days, following heavy rain throughout the weekend.
, Brecon
and Wrexham
. Steeplechasing began at Bangor-Is-Coed
in the 1850s and is still a racecourse to this day. The 20th century saw the Welsh working class embrace the sport, mainly due to the spread of off-course betting. 1926 saw the opening of Chepstow Racecourse
which presently holds the Welsh National
. Today only three racecourses survive in Wales, Chepstow, Bangor-Is-Coed and Ffos Las
which was opened in 2009.
Wales has produced several jockeys of note, including Jack Anthony
who won the Grand National
on three occasions (1911, 1915 and 1920), Hywel Davies who won it in 1985 and Carl Llewellyn who won the race most recently in 1992 and again in 1998. Another notable Welsh jockey was Dick Francis
, who was British jump racing Champion Jockey
in the 1953-54 season and was famous for riding Devon Loch
when the horse slipped close to the winning post when leading 1956 Grand National. In retirement Francis became a best-selling author of crime novels set in the racing world.
A popular, if unusual, form of horseracing in Wales is harness racing
, known in Wales as 'trotting'. The oldest trotting meet in Wales is the Llangadog which has been held every Easter Monday since 1884. In 1990, 'Tir Prince' an American-style raceway was opened in Towyn
which now holds 13 races a year, many of which are shown on Welsh language television channel S4C
on its programme Rasus.
. Wales has had some notability in the World Rally Championship
, producing two championship winning Co-Drivers, those being Nicky Grist
, who helped Colin McRae
to victory in 1995 and Phil Mills
who helped Petter Solberg
win the 2003 title.
Two Welsh drivers have competed in the Formula One
championship: the first was Alan Rees
at the 1967 British Grand Prix
, who finished in ninth position, four laps behind the winner, Jim Clark
. Tom Pryce
was the more notable of the two drivers, as he finished on the podium twice and, at the 1975 British Grand Prix
, qualified in pole position
. Pryce's career was cut short after he collided with volunteer marshal, Jansen Van Vuuren, killing both instantly.
Freddie Williams
was world speedway
champion in 1950 and 1953, and the British Grand Prix - the United Kingdom's round of the world championship - is held each year at the Millennium Stadium
in Cardiff
. Newport
and Carmarthen
have teams in the British speedway leagues.
Wales has also produced several champions in autograss
, a form of motor racing on grass or dirt tracks.
in 1908 which was followed by the second Welsh League which ran from 1949 until 1955.
Rugby league
is now considered to be one of the countries fastest growing sports. There are currently two professional rugby league clubs in Wales, the Crusaders Rugby League team based in Wrexham
who play in the Super League
competition. Neath
based South Wales Scorpions
play in the Championship 1
, there are also plans for the CPC Bears
based in West Wales
to join the Championship competition in 2013. The Nelson, Caerphilly based Valley Cougars
play in the Rugby League Conference National Division
(below Championship 1). The Rugby League Conference Welsh Premier
is the top division for rugby league clubs in Wales and the division below is the Rugby League Conference Welsh Championship
The national side
, nicknamed the Dragons, has often been one of the strongest sides in international rugby league and has also provided a number of players for the Great Britain team
. They compete in the European Nations Cup
and the World Cup
they will also be competing in the 2011 Four Nations after defeating France
12-11.
The Wales Rugby League
achieved governing body status in 2005.
(or billards) in Wales, in the 20th century it became a popular past time in working men's club
s. One of the first Welsh stars of the sport was amateur Horace Coles, who was runner up to Allan Prior in the 1927 World Billiard Championships. Coles reached the final again in 1935, this time victorious over McGhie of Scotland to take the World title. Players of note after the Second World War included Roy Oriel of Mountain Ash and Clive Everton
, who is now most recognised as a snooker commentator and journalist.
The popularisation of colour television in the 1970s, brought the game of snooker to a new demographic of viewers. The decade was dominated by Ray Reardon
from Tredegar
, who won six World Snooker Championship
titles, and when the first world rankings were introduced in 1976, Reardon became the first world number one snooker player. Some of Reardon's contemporaries included Gary Owen from Tumble
and Cliff Wilson
also from Tredegar.
Wales has continued to produce world class snooker players since Reardon's time, including Terry Griffiths
, Mark Williams
and Matthew Stevens
. Amateur participation in the sport is very high.
play in the Elite Ice Hockey League
, the highest level of ice hockey competition in the United Kingdom.
Other notable Welsh sports people include BDO world darts champion Richie Burnett
and international champion cyclists Nicole Cooke
and Geraint Thomas
.
Cardiff
and Newport
are home to the traditional game of British baseball
, which sees an annual international match between Wales and England
.
Wales also has an Australian Rules Football team. They are the holders of the Dragon Cup after beating England 179-93 on aggregate on 18 October and 25 October 2008.
(12 gold, six silver, nine bronze) and achieving 14 medals at 2008 Summer Paralympics
(ten gold, three silvers, one bronze). Two of the most successful Welsh Paralympians to represent Great Britain were Tanni Grey-Thompson, winner of 11 gold medals over four Paralympics and swimmer Dave Roberts
who took 11 gold medals over three Paralympics.
Other Olympians of note include, Beijing 2008 Olympic
Gold Medalist
and international champion cyclist Nicole Cooke
(Road Race), who also won the 2006 and 2007 Grande Boucle
– the women's Tour de France
, and Geraint Thomas
(Team Pursuit
), who also rode in the 2007 Tour de France
, Commonwealth Games
gold and bronze medallist in shooting Dave Phelps and Beijing 2008 Olympic
Silver Medalist (10 km marathon) and Athens 2004 Olympic
Bronze Medalist (1500 m freestyle
), swimmer David Davies
, Cyclist Simon Richardson
- double gold medallist at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
(1 km and 3 km time trial).
Cardiff is expected to provide training facilities for some visiting teams at the London 2012 Olympics. The Millennium Stadium
may host some events.
is the Association for Physical Education
.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
are rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and football. Like the other countries of the United Kingdom
Countries of the United Kingdom
Countries of the United Kingdom is a term used to describe England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. These four countries together form the sovereign state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which is also described as a country. The alternative terms, constituent...
, Wales enjoys independent representation in major world sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
, Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
and in the Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
, but competes as part of England in cricket and Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
in many others, including the Olympics.
The Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
is the country's national stadium
National stadium
Many countries have a national football stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football stadium. Usually, a national stadium will be in or very...
. Located in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, it is the home of the Wales national rugby union team
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
and the Wales national football team
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
with a capacity of 74,500. It was the temporary location for English football
Football in England
Association football is a national sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game...
and rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
finals during the redevelopment of Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
.
Sport Wales is responsible for sport in Wales.
In 2008/09, Cardiff had the highest percentage (61%) of residents who regularly participated in sport and active recreation out of all 22 local authorities in Wales, whereas Rhondda Cynon Taf had the lowest (24%).
Traditional sports
CnapanCnapan
Cnapan is a Celtic form of medieval football, vaguely resembling some modern versions of rugby football, played in Wales until the nineteenth century. It may be a forerunner to modern rugby union...
(sometimes spelt Knapan or Knappan) is a Celt
Celt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic form of medieval football, vaguely resembling some modern versions of rugby football
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, played in Wales until the nineteenth century. It may be a forerunner to modern rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
. The game originated in, and seems to have remained largely confined to, the western counties of Wales, especially Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
, Ceredigion
Ceredigion
Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...
and Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
. According to George Owen of Henllys, in his Description of Pembrokeshire (1603), cnapan had been "extremely popular in Pembrokeshire since greate antiquitie
Another traditional sport, once favoured in Glamorgan, is Bando
Bando (sport)
Bando is a team sport – related to hockey, hurling, shinty, and bandy – which was first recorded in Wales in the eighteenth century. The game is played on a large level field between teams of up to thirty players each of them equipped with a bando: a curve-ended stick resembling that used in field...
; an early form of hockey.
Rugby union
As in New ZealandRugby union in New Zealand
Rugby union is the unofficial national sport of New Zealand. Rugby, as it is generally referred to by New Zealanders, is an integral part of New Zealand culture. The national team, the All Blacks, rank as the top international team in the world. The sport was known in New Zealand from 1870, and the...
, rugby union is popular. The Encyclopedia of Wales describes the sport as "seen by many as a symbol of Welsh identity and an expression of national consciousness".
The professional era has seen major and controversial changes in the traditional structure of club rugby in Wales. Wales now shares a single top flight rugby structure with Scotland
Rugby union in Scotland
Rugby union is a popular team sport in Scotland. The national side today competes in the annual Six Nations Championship and the Rugby World Cup. The first ever international rugby match was played on March 27, 1871, at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh, when Scotland defeated England in front of 4,000...
and Ireland
Rugby union in Ireland
Rugby union is a popular team sport played in Ireland. The sport is organised on an all-Ireland basis with one team, governing body and league for both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland...
, the Celtic League
Celtic League (rugby union)
The Celtic League is an annual rugby union competition involving professional sides from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
. Wales is represented by four regional teams that also take part in the Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
, the European Challenge Cup
European Challenge Cup
The European Challenge Cup, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Amlin Challenge Cup, is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup. The cup was known as the Parker Pen Shield from 2001 to 2003 and Parker Pen Challenge Cup from 2003 to 2005. The European...
, and the Anglo-Welsh Cup.
The Welsh national rugby union team
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
takes part in the annual Six Nations Championship
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
, and the Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
. The country's sevens national team
Wales national rugby union team (sevens)
The Wales national rugby union sevens team is the international rugby sevens side for Welsh rugby union players. They currently compete in the IRB Sevens World Series, the Rugby World Cup Sevens and in the Commonwealth Games....
currently holds the Melrose Cup as winners of the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens
2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens
The 2009 Rugby Sevens World Cup was the fifth edition of the Rugby sevens world cup. The International Rugby Board selected Dubai in the United Arab Emirates as the host venue for the tournament ahead of bids from four other countries. The format included nine direct qualifiers and a further...
, and is one of the 12 "core teams" in the annual IRB Sevens World Series
IRB Sevens World Series
The IRB Sevens World Series, known officially as the HSBC Sevens World Series as of the 2010-11 season, through sponsorship from banking group HSBC, and also sometimes called the World Sevens Series, is a series of international rugby union sevens tournaments organised for the first time in the...
.
Football
The governing body for football in Wales is the Football Association of WalesFootball Association of Wales
The Football Association of Wales is the governing body of association football in Wales. It is a member of FIFA, UEFA and the IFAB.Established in 1876 , it is the third-oldest national association in the world, and is one of the four associations The Football Association of Wales (FAW) is the...
. It runs the national teams, the recreational game and the main cup competitions.
Football developed in the late 19th century in Wales, initially more popular as a sport in north Wales. The most successful teams are Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
, Swansea City
Swansea City A.F.C.
Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
, Newport County
Newport County A.F.C.
Newport County Association Football Club are a professional football club based in the city of Newport, south Wales, who currently play in the Conference National, the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
and Wrexham. Cardiff City are the most successful having won the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
in 1927 and spent 15 seasons in the top-flight First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
. Swansea City have also played in the top flight, playing two consecutive seasons in the early 1980s and won promotion to the Premier League in 2011. Newport County have played in the second-tier Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
and reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
. Wrexham, one of the oldest surviving football teams in Britain have won the Welsh Cup 23 teams and also reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup. The now-defunct Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil F.C.
Merthyr Tydfil Football Club was a Welsh football club based at the Penydarren Park ground in Merthyr Tydfil. In 2010 the club was liquidated and reformed under the name Merthyr Town, which was accepted into Division One of the Western League.-History:...
also won the Welsh Cup on three occasions.
The Welsh football league system
Welsh football league system
The Welsh football league system is a series of football leagues with regular promotion and relegation between them.-Structure of Welsh football:...
has been headed since 1992 by the Welsh Premier League. The feeder leagues into the Welsh Premier League are the Cymru Alliance
Cymru Alliance
The Huws Gray Alliance is a football league and forms the second level of the Welsh football league system in north and central Wales....
in the north, and the Welsh Football League
Welsh Football League
The Welsh Football League is a club football league in Wales. Division One of the Welsh Football League is at Level 2 of the Welsh football league system, immediately below the national Welsh Premier League.The Welsh Football League's history stretches back to 1904 when the competition was first...
in the south. The main Cup competitions in Wales are the Welsh Cup
Welsh Cup
The Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
and the Welsh League Cup
Welsh League Cup
The Welsh League Cup is a cup competition in Welsh football organised by the Welsh Premier League...
. However, for historical reasons, six Welsh clubs (Cardiff City, Swansea City, Wrexham, Newport County, Colwyn Bay
Colwyn Bay F.C.
Colwyn Bay F.C. are a Welsh football club, as of the 2011–12 season are playing in the Conference North. Nicknamed the Seagulls, the club play at Llanelian Road in Old Colwyn.-History:...
and the reformed Merthyr Town
Merthyr Town F.C.
Merthyr Town Football Club is a Welsh semi-professional football club based in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. For the 2011–2012 season the club will be playing in the Western Football League Premier Division at Penydarren Park in Merthyr....
) play in the English Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
and its feeder leagues.
Athletics
Wales has produced a number of athletes who have made a mark on the world stage, including the 110m hurdler Colin JacksonColin Jackson
Colin Ray Jackson CBE is a British former sprint and hurdling athlete who specialised in the 110 metres hurdles. Over his career representing Great Britain and Wales he won an Olympic silver medal, became world champion three times, went undefeated at the European Championships for 12 years and...
who is a former world record holder and the winner of numerous Olympic, World and European medals. Marathoner Steve Jones
Steve Jones (athlete)
Steve Jones is a Welsh athlete and former world marathon record holder.Steve Jones was born in St James' Hospital Tredegar and grew up in the neighbouring town of Ebbw Vale, Wales, Jones began his career as an aircraft technician in the Royal Air Force...
set the world record for the marathon in Chicago in 1984 with a time of 2:08:05. He also won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth games in the 10,000m in 1986.
The Isle of Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
/Ynys Môn is a member island of the International Island Games Association
International Island Games Association
The International Island Games Association is an organisation the sole purpose of which is to organise the Island Games, a friendly biennial athletic competition between teams from several European islands and other small territories. The IGA liaises with the member island associations and with...
. In the 2005 Games, held on the Shetland Islands, the Isle of Anglesey/Ynys Môn came 11th on the medal table with 4 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals.
Boxing
Wales has a strong connection with the sport of boxingBoxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, particularly in the South Wales Valleys, with fighters such as Tommy Farr
Tommy Farr
Thomas George Farr was one of the most famous Welsh and British boxers of all time. Born in Clydach Vale, Wales and nicknamed "the Tonypandy Terror", he became British and Empire heavyweight champion on 15 March 1937. Prior to 1936, he had boxed in the light heavyweight division in which he was...
, Freddie Welsh
Freddie Welsh
Freddie Welsh was a Welsh lightweight boxing champion. Born in Pontypridd, Wales, and christened Frederick Hall Thomas, he was nicknamed the "Welsh Wizard". Brought up in a tough mining community, Welsh left a middle-class background to make a name for himself in America...
, Jimmy Wilde
Jimmy Wilde
Jimmy Wilde , was a Welsh world boxing champion. He was the first official world flyweight champion and was rated by American boxing writer Nat Fleischer, as well as many other professionals and fans including former boxer, trainer, manager and promoter, Charley 'Broadway' Rose, as "the greatest...
, Dai Dower
Dai Dower
David William "Dai" Dower MBE , former British, Empire and European Flyweight boxing champion, is one of the most successful Welsh boxers of all time.-Amateur career:...
and Johnny Owen
Johnny Owen
Johnny Owen was a professional boxer from Wales. His fragile appearance earned him many epithets, including ‘the Bionic Bantam’ and ‘the Merthyr Matchstick’. During his brief career, he held the Bantamweight Championships of Great Britain and Europe and became the first ever Welsh holder of the...
all competing at the highest level. Joe Calzaghe
Joe Calzaghe
Joseph William Calzaghe, CBE, MBE is a Welsh former professional boxer. He is the former WBO, WBA, WBC, IBF, The Ring & British super middleweight champion and The Ring light heavyweight champion....
, born in London to a Welsh mother and Italian father and raised in Newbridge, retired in 2009 as an unbeaten world champion. Other former world champions include Enzo Maccarinelli
Enzo Maccarinelli
Enzo Maccarinelli is a Welsh professional boxer who fights in the light heavyweight division. He is a former World Boxing Organization cruiserweight title holder and also held the European title at that weight limit...
, Gavin Rees
Gavin Rees
Gavin Rees is a Welsh professional boxer. Nicknamed "The Rock", Rees is the current EBU Lightweight Champion, and former WBA super-lightweight World Champion...
, Howard Winstone
Howard Winstone
Howard Winstone, MBE was a Welsh world champion boxer, born in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. As an amateur, Winstone won the Amateur Boxing Association bantamweight title in 1958, and a Commonwealth Games Gold Medal at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff-Boxing style:In his early...
, Jim Driscoll
Jim Driscoll
James "Jim" Driscoll commonly known as Peerless Jim was a Welsh boxer who learned his trade in the boxing ring and used it to fight his way out of poverty....
, Steve Robinson and Robbie Regan
Robbie Regan
Robbie Regan Robbie Regan Robbie Regan (born 30 August 1968 in Caerphilly, Wales is a Welsh former professional boxer.-Pro career:Regan is a former WBO World Bantamweight champion and former interim IBF World Flyweight champion. In 1995 he captured the interim IBF flyweight title with a KO win...
.
Cricket
In cricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, England and Wales field a single representative team in international competition which is administered by the England and Wales Cricket Board
England and Wales Cricket Board
The England and Wales Cricket Board is the governing body of cricket in England and Wales. It was created on 1 January 1997 combining the roles of the Test and County Cricket Board, the National Cricket Association and the Cricket Council...
(ECB). There is a separate Wales team that occasionally participates in limited-overs domestic competition. English Wicket keeper Geraint Jones
Geraint Jones
Geraint Owen Jones MBE is an England cricketer of Welsh extraction but raised in Australia. Until August 2006 he was the first-choice wicketkeeper for England in both Test and One-day cricket, but fell behind Chris Read, Paul Nixon, Matt Prior and Tim Ambrose...
is originally from Wales. A Wales team also plays in the English Minor Counties competition.
Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
is one of the most popular summer sports within Wales.
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
is the only Welsh participant in the England and Wales County Championship.
Golf
Although a sport most associated with ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
has a tradition in Wales stretching back to the late 19th century. The first recognised golf courses were constructed in Wales in the 1880s, though a short course was built in Pontnewydd in Cwmbran in 1875. Most of these early courses were built on coastal common land, including Tenby
Tenby
Tenby is a walled seaside town in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, lying on Carmarthen Bay.Notable features of Tenby include of sandy beaches; the 13th century medieval town walls, including the Five Arches barbican gatehouse ; 15th century St...
(1880), Borth
Borth
Borth ) is a coastal village 7 miles north of Aberystwyth in the county of Ceredigion, Mid Wales. The population was 1,523 in 2001.-Features and history:Borth has a sandy beach and is a popular holiday seaside resort...
and Ynyslas
Ynyslas
Ynyslas is a small Welsh village about 1.5 miles north of Borth and 8 miles north of Aberystwyth in the county of Ceredigion. It is sandwiched between a long sandy beach in Cardigan Bay and the beach in the Dyfi Estuary...
(1885), Conwy
Conwy
Conwy is a walled market town and community in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales. The town, which faces Deganwy across the River Conwy, formerly lay in Gwynedd and prior to that in Caernarfonshire. Conwy has a population of 14,208...
1890 and Penarth
Penarth
Penarth is a town and seaside resort in the Vale of Glamorgan , Wales, 5.2 miles south west from the city centre of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff and lying on the north shore of the Severn Estuary at the southern end of Cardiff Bay...
1890. As tourism developed in Wales, the golf clubs helped attract visitors, which was further advertised by the newly constructed passenger rail links.
The first amateur golf championship was held at Aberdovey in 1895, and nine years later the first professional championship was at Radyr
Radyr
Radyr is an outer suburb of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The suburb is situated in the west of the city, although it was originally a separate village, and is located around 5 miles north west of Cardiff city centre. According to 2009 estimates, the suburb has a population of 6,000...
in Cardiff. In Wales, golf was open to both men and women from its earliest beginnings, with the Welsh Ladies' Golf Union founded in 1904. Despite the openness of the sport to both sexes, it was still considered elitist by many in Wales, and essentially an English past time.
As living standards improved during the 20th century, golf began to lose its elitist label, and was embraced by all sections of society. Dai Rees
Dai Rees
David James Rees, CBE was one of the Britain's leading golfers either side of World War II.The winner of many prestigious tournaments in Britain, Europe and farther afield, Rees is best remembered as the captain of the Great Britain Ryder Cup team which defeated the United States at Lindrick Golf...
was one of the first successful Welsh golfers, captaining a winning European Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
team in 1957. Wales has won the golfing World Cup on two occasions, with the pairing of David Llewellyn
David Llewellyn (golfer)
David John Llewellyn is a Welsh professional golfer.Llewellyn played on the European Tour in the 1970s after being named the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year in 1971. He achieved a personal best ranking of 39th on the Order or Merit in 1974, but did not win any tournaments in this period...
and Ian Woosnam
Ian Woosnam
Ian Harold Woosnam OBE is a Welsh professional golfer.Nicknamed 'Woosie', 'Woosers', or the 'Wee Welshman', Woosnam was one of the "Big Five" generation of European golfers, all born within 12 months of one another, all of whom have won majors, and made Europe competitive in the Ryder Cup...
lifting the trophy in Hawaii in 1987, and again in 2005, with Stephen Dodd
Stephen Dodd
Stephen Dodd is a Welsh professional golfer who after a relatively moderate career, unexpectedly won two events on the European Tour in the 2005 season at the age of 38.Dodd was born in Cardiff...
and Bradley Dredge
Bradley Dredge
Bradley Dredge is a Welsh professional golfer.Dredge was born in Tredegar. He turned professional in 1996.Dredge attempted to gain his card on the European Tour via the qualifying school in 1995 and 1996, the second time doing sufficiently well to gain a place on the Challenge Tour for 1997...
winning in Portugal. Woosnam then followed countryman Rees' achievement when he led Europe to victory against the USA in the 2006 Ryder Cup.
The Celtic Manor Resort
Celtic Manor Resort
The Celtic Manor Resort is a golf-centric hotel and leisure resort in Newport, south Wales. It consists of two adjoining hotels, a country inn, two golf and country clubs, and a multi-purpose conference centre...
in Newport, South Wales was the venue for the 2010 Ryder Cup
2010 Ryder Cup
The 38th Ryder Cup matches were held 2010 at the Celtic Manor Resort in the city of Newport, Wales. It was the first time the competition was staged in Wales. With the USA as the defending Cup holder the event was played on the newly-constructed Twenty 10 course, specifically designed for the...
; the first time the event was held in Wales. Europe beat the USA by 14.5 points to 13.5 in one of the most dramatic finishes to the tournament in recent years. The event also made history by becoming the first Ryder Cup to stretch over four days, following heavy rain throughout the weekend.
Horseracing
Organised horse racing in Wales originated with the gentry and aristocracy, but by 1833 there were internationally recognised flat races at many locations around the country, including CowbridgeCowbridge
Cowbridge is a market town in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales, approximately west of Cardiff. Cowbridge is twinned with Clisson in the Loire-Atlantique department in northwestern France.-Roman times:...
, Brecon
Brecon
Brecon is a long-established market town and community in southern Powys, Mid Wales, with a population of 7,901. It was the county town of the historic county of Brecknockshire; although its role as such was eclipsed with the formation of Powys, it remains an important local centre...
and Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
. Steeplechasing began at Bangor-Is-Coed
Bangor-on-Dee racecourse
Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Bangor-on-Dee near Wrexham, Wales.It is a left-handed National Hunt racecourse, and doesn't have a Grandstand.- History :...
in the 1850s and is still a racecourse to this day. The 20th century saw the Welsh working class embrace the sport, mainly due to the spread of off-course betting. 1926 saw the opening of Chepstow Racecourse
Chepstow Racecourse
Chepstow Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located just outside the town of Chepstow in Monmouthshire, Wales, near the southern end of the Wye Valley which forms the border with England...
which presently holds the Welsh National
Welsh National
The Welsh National is a Grade 3 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Chepstow, Wales, over a distance of about 3 miles and 5½ furlongs , and during its running there are twenty-two fences to be jumped...
. Today only three racecourses survive in Wales, Chepstow, Bangor-Is-Coed and Ffos Las
Ffos Las racecourse
The Ffos Las racecourse is a horse racing, equestrian sports and conferencing venue situated just off the B4317 road, opposite the Glyn Abbey Golf Club, in a rural area called Ffos Las between Trimsaran and Carway and is about north of Llanelli...
which was opened in 2009.
Wales has produced several jockeys of note, including Jack Anthony
Jack Anthony (jockey)
John Randolph Anthony , better known as Jack Anthony, was a Welsh jockey.Anthony was best known for his three victories in the Grand National steeplechase: on "Glenside" in 1911, on "Ally Sloper" in 1915, and on "Troytown" in 1920...
who won the Grand National
Grand National
The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
on three occasions (1911, 1915 and 1920), Hywel Davies who won it in 1985 and Carl Llewellyn who won the race most recently in 1992 and again in 1998. Another notable Welsh jockey was Dick Francis
Dick Francis
Richard Stanley "Dick" Francis CBE was an English jockey and crime writer, many of whose novels centre around horse racing.- Personal life :...
, who was British jump racing Champion Jockey
British jump racing Champion Jockey
In Great Britain's National Hunt racing, the title of Champion Jockey is bestowed on the jockey who has ridden the most winning horses during a racing season. From its inception in 1900 through to 1925, the award was given to the jockey who had ridden the most winners during a calendar year...
in the 1953-54 season and was famous for riding Devon Loch
Devon Loch
Devon Loch was a famous racehorse that is probably best remembered for its involvement in the 1956 Grand National steeplechase, when owned by Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother....
when the horse slipped close to the winning post when leading 1956 Grand National. In retirement Francis became a best-selling author of crime novels set in the racing world.
A popular, if unusual, form of horseracing in Wales is harness racing
Harness racing
Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait . They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, although racing under saddle is also conducted in Europe.-Breeds:...
, known in Wales as 'trotting'. The oldest trotting meet in Wales is the Llangadog which has been held every Easter Monday since 1884. In 1990, 'Tir Prince' an American-style raceway was opened in Towyn
Towyn
Towyn , is a seaside resort in the County Borough of Conwy, Wales.It is located between Rhyl, in Denbighshire, and Abergele in Conwy. According to the 2001 Census, together with neighbouring Kinmel Bay , it had a population 7,864, of which 10.7% could speak Welsh...
which now holds 13 races a year, many of which are shown on Welsh language television channel S4C
S4C
S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
on its programme Rasus.
Motor sports
The rugged terrain of the country also gives plenty of opportunities for rally driving and Wales currently hosts the finale of the World Rally ChampionshipWorld Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
. Wales has had some notability in the World Rally Championship
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
, producing two championship winning Co-Drivers, those being Nicky Grist
Nicky Grist
Nicky Grist is a Welsh former rally co-driver, born in Ebbw Vale. His factory team career in the World Rally Championship lasted from 1993 to 2002. He won 21 rallies and one World championship titles, with more than one driver....
, who helped Colin McRae
Colin McRae
Colin Steele McRae, MBE was a Scottish rally driver born in Lanark.The son of five-time British Rally Champion Jimmy McRae and brother of rally driver Alister McRae, Colin McRae was the 1991 and 1992 British Rally Champion and, in 1995, became the first British person and the youngest to win the...
to victory in 1995 and Phil Mills
Phil Mills
Phil Mills is a Welsh rally racing co-driver. He was winner of the 2003 World Rally Championship , as co-driver to Petter Solberg....
who helped Petter Solberg
Petter Solberg
Petter "Hollywood" Solberg , from Spydeberg in Østfold, Norway, is a professional rally driver. He debuted in the World Rally Championship in 1998 and was signed by the Ford factory team in 1999...
win the 2003 title.
Two Welsh drivers have competed in the Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
championship: the first was Alan Rees
Alan Rees
Alan Rees is a British former racing driver from Wales. He participated in three World Championship Grands Prix in the 1960s, although two of those appearances were driving Formula 2 cars...
at the 1967 British Grand Prix
1967 British Grand Prix
The 1967 British Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Silverstone on July 15, 1967.- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standingsConstructors' Championship standings...
, who finished in ninth position, four laps behind the winner, Jim Clark
Jim Clark
James "Jim" Clark, Jr OBE was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965....
. Tom Pryce
Tom Pryce
Thomas Maldwyn Pryce was a Welsh racing driver, famous for winning the Brands Hatch Race of Champions, a non-championship Formula One race, in 1975 and for the circumstances surrounding his death...
was the more notable of the two drivers, as he finished on the podium twice and, at the 1975 British Grand Prix
1975 British Grand Prix
The 1975 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Silverstone on July 19, 1975. It was the 30th British Grand Prix to be held since the race was first held in 1926 and the 17th time the race had been held at Silverstone...
, qualified in pole position
Pole position
The term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she...
. Pryce's career was cut short after he collided with volunteer marshal, Jansen Van Vuuren, killing both instantly.
Freddie Williams
Freddie Williams (speedway rider)
Freddie Williams is a former motorcycle speedway rider from Wales who was World Champion on two occasions. He was the winner of the Speedway World Championship in 1950 and 1953 and runner-up in 1952.-Career:...
was world speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
champion in 1950 and 1953, and the British Grand Prix - the United Kingdom's round of the world championship - is held each year at the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
and Carmarthen
Carmarthen
Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
have teams in the British speedway leagues.
Wales has also produced several champions in autograss
Autograss
Autograss racing is Britain’s most popular form of amateur motor racing. It takes place at venues throughout England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland....
, a form of motor racing on grass or dirt tracks.
Rugby league
Several attempts were made to bring rugby league to Wales in the 20th century, mainly the formation of the short-lived Welsh LeagueWelsh League
The Welsh League was the first club rugby league competition in Wales. Its inaugural season was in 1908/09 when four additional teams were formed to join Ebbw Vale RLFC and Merthyr Tydfil RLFC, which allowed a league tournament to take place...
in 1908 which was followed by the second Welsh League which ran from 1949 until 1955.
Rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
is now considered to be one of the countries fastest growing sports. There are currently two professional rugby league clubs in Wales, the Crusaders Rugby League team based in Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
who play in the Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
competition. Neath
Neath
Neath is a town and community situated in the principal area of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, UK with a population of approximately 45,898 in 2001...
based South Wales Scorpions
South Wales Scorpions
South Wales Scorpions Rugby League Football Club is a professional rugby league club formed in 2009, based in Neath, Wales. They are owned by a consortium of South Wales businessmen, led by Phil Davies...
play in the Championship 1
Championship 1
Championship 1, known as The Co-operative Championship 1 due to sponsorship by The Co-operative Group, is a rugby league competition based in the United Kingdom. It acts as the country's third-tier competition behind the Championship, with which it has a system of promotion and relegation. It is...
, there are also plans for the CPC Bears
CPC Bears
CPC Bears are a rugby league club based in Carmarthen and are the regional side for Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion. They play in the Welsh Premier Division of the Rugby League Conference.-History:...
based in West Wales
West Wales
West Wales is the western area of Wales.Some definitions of West Wales include only Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, an area which historically comprised the Welsh principality of Deheubarth., an area called "South West Wales" in the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics....
to join the Championship competition in 2013. The Nelson, Caerphilly based Valley Cougars
Valley Cougars
Valley Cougars are a rugby league team based in Caerphilly. They play in the National Division of the Rugby League Conference-History:They were founded in 1975 and joined the Welsh Division of the Rugby League Conference in 2003. They led a nomadic existence for their first few years in the valleys...
play in the Rugby League Conference National Division
Rugby League Conference National Division
The Rugby League Conference National Division is the highest division in the Rugby League Conference. Between 2003 and 2006, it was known as National League Three.-National League Three:...
(below Championship 1). The Rugby League Conference Welsh Premier
Rugby League Conference Welsh Premier
The Rugby League Conference Wales is the higher of two Welsh domestic leagues for the sport of rugby league. It forms a Premier division of the Rugby League Conference competition which covers all of Great Britain.-History:...
is the top division for rugby league clubs in Wales and the division below is the Rugby League Conference Welsh Championship
Rugby League Conference Welsh Championship
The Rugby League Conference Welsh Championship is the lower of two Welsh domestic leagues for the sport of rugby league. It is a division of the Rugby League Conference competition which covers all of Great Britain.-History:...
The national side
Wales national rugby league team
The Wales national rugby league team represent Wales in international rugby league football matches. Currently the team is seventh in the RLIF World Rankings. The team were run under the auspices of the Rugby Football League, but an independent body, Wales Rugby League, now runs the team from...
, nicknamed the Dragons, has often been one of the strongest sides in international rugby league and has also provided a number of players for the Great Britain team
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
. They compete in the European Nations Cup
Rugby League European Nations Cup
The European Cup is a rugby league football tournament for European nations that was first held in 1935. The tournament was first started in 1935, with England, Wales and France each playing each other once...
and the World Cup
Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...
they will also be competing in the 2011 Four Nations after defeating France
France national rugby league team
The France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league tournaments. They are also sometimes referred to as "Les Tricolores" or more commonly "Les Chanticleers"...
12-11.
The Wales Rugby League
Wales Rugby League
Wales Rugby League is the national governing body for rugby league football in Wales.In 1907 The Welsh Northern Rugby Football Union was formed in Wrexham, but the English Northern Rugby Football Union refused it affiliation as they wanted the body located in the south of Wales and the Welsh body...
achieved governing body status in 2005.
Snooker
Although little is known of the development of snookerSnooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
(or billards) in Wales, in the 20th century it became a popular past time in working men's club
Working men's club
Working men's clubs are a type of private social club founded in the 19th century in industrial areas of the United Kingdom, particularly the North of England, the Midlands and many parts of the South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class men and their families.-...
s. One of the first Welsh stars of the sport was amateur Horace Coles, who was runner up to Allan Prior in the 1927 World Billiard Championships. Coles reached the final again in 1935, this time victorious over McGhie of Scotland to take the World title. Players of note after the Second World War included Roy Oriel of Mountain Ash and Clive Everton
Clive Everton
Clive Everton , is a Welsh veteran BBC snooker commentator, journalist and author. He began his BBC career on the radio, but has been commentating on the television from the 1978 World Championship through to the present...
, who is now most recognised as a snooker commentator and journalist.
The popularisation of colour television in the 1970s, brought the game of snooker to a new demographic of viewers. The decade was dominated by Ray Reardon
Ray Reardon
Ray Reardon, MBE is a retired Welsh snooker player. He dominated the sport in the 1970s, winning six World Championships in that decade...
from Tredegar
Tredegar
Tredegar is a town situated on the Sirhowy River in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent, in south-east Wales. Located within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire, it became an early centre of the Industrial Revolution in South Wales...
, who won six World Snooker Championship
World Snooker Championship
The World Snooker Championship is the leading professional snooker tournament in terms of both prize money and ranking points. The first championship was held in 1927; since 1977, it has been played at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England...
titles, and when the first world rankings were introduced in 1976, Reardon became the first world number one snooker player. Some of Reardon's contemporaries included Gary Owen from Tumble
Tumble, Carmarthenshire
Tumble , is a village situated south of Cross Hands near the towns of Carmarthen and Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, West Wales. Tumble, along with Cross Hands is part of the community of Llannon.-History:...
and Cliff Wilson
Cliff Wilson
Cliff Wilson was a Welsh professional snooker player. He managed to get to into the world's top 16 in 1988 at the age of 55; a remarkable feat for someone with very poor eyesight and a number of other ailments.- Amateur years :...
also from Tredegar.
Wales has continued to produce world class snooker players since Reardon's time, including Terry Griffiths
Terry Griffiths
Terrence "Terry" Griffiths OBE is a retired Welsh snooker player and current snooker coach and pundit. He won the World Championship in 1979 at the first attempt, and reached the 1988 final. He also won the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championship in 1982, making him one of seven players to have...
, Mark Williams
Mark Williams (snooker player)
Mark James Williams, MBE is a Welsh professional snooker player who has been World Champion twice, in 2000 and 2003. Often noted for his single-ball potting, he has earned the nickname, The Welsh Potting Machine...
and Matthew Stevens
Matthew Stevens
Matthew Stevens is a Welsh professional snooker player. Stevens has won two of the game's most prestigious events, the Benson and Hedges Masters in 2000 and the UK Championship in 2003. He has also been the runner-up in the World Snooker Championship on two occasions, in 2000 and 2005...
. Amateur participation in the sport is very high.
Other sports
The Cardiff DevilsCardiff Devils
The Cardiff Devils are a Welsh ice hockey team who play in the British Elite Ice Hockey League. The team currently plays in the temporary Cardiff Arena...
play in the Elite Ice Hockey League
Elite Ice Hockey League
Several competitions fall under the jurisdiction of the Elite League. In 2006–07, the EIHL ran a total of four competitions: the league, playoffs, Challenge Cup and Knockout Cup. The league consists of a single division, each team playing three home games and three away games against the other...
, the highest level of ice hockey competition in the United Kingdom.
Other notable Welsh sports people include BDO world darts champion Richie Burnett
Richie Burnett
Richie Burnett is a Welsh darts player who was the 1995 Embassy World Darts Champion and currently plays in Professional Darts Corporation events. His nickname is The Prince of Wales.-BDO career:...
and international champion cyclists Nicole Cooke
Nicole Cooke
Nicole Denise Cooke, MBE is a Welsh professional road bicycle racer for the Mario Cipollini - Giordana Team team, and is the current Olympic road race champion.-Early life:...
and Geraint Thomas
Geraint Thomas
Geraint Howell Thomas, MBE is a Welsh professional racing cyclist who rides for the UCI ProTour team . A track cycling world champion and Olympic gold medalist in the team pursuit, Thomas has also enjoyed success on the road, winning the Junior Paris-Roubaix in 2004, the British National...
.
Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
and Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
are home to the traditional game of British baseball
British baseball
British baseball, sometimes called Welsh baseball, or in the areas where it is popular simply baseball, is a bat-and-ball game played primarily in Wales and England. It is closely related to the game of rounders, and indeed emerged as a distinct sport when governing bodies in Wales and England...
, which sees an annual international match between Wales and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Wales also has an Australian Rules Football team. They are the holders of the Dragon Cup after beating England 179-93 on aggregate on 18 October and 25 October 2008.
Olympic sports
Wales has produced many notable Olympic and Paralympic athletes for the Great Britain team. Wales' Paralympic athletes were exceptionally successful throughout the 2000s, winning 27 medals in the 2004 Summer Paralympics2004 Summer Paralympics
The 2004 Summer Paralympics were held in Athens, Greece, from September 17 to September 28. The twelfth Paralympic Games, an estimated 4,000 athletes took part in the Athens programme, with ages ranging from 11 to 66. Paralympic events had already taken place during the 2004 Summer Olympics as...
(12 gold, six silver, nine bronze) and achieving 14 medals at 2008 Summer Paralympics
2008 Summer Paralympics
The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao....
(ten gold, three silvers, one bronze). Two of the most successful Welsh Paralympians to represent Great Britain were Tanni Grey-Thompson, winner of 11 gold medals over four Paralympics and swimmer Dave Roberts
David Roberts (swimmer)
David Evan Roberts CBE , is a Welsh swimmer. An eleven-time Paralympic gold medallist, he is one of Great Britain's most successful Paralympians ever.-Swimming career:...
who took 11 gold medals over three Paralympics.
Other Olympians of note include, Beijing 2008 Olympic
Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Great Britain competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. The United Kingdom was represented by the British Olympic Association , and the team of selected athletes was officially known as Team GB. Britain is one of only five NOCs to have competed in every Summer Olympic Games since 1896...
Gold Medalist
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
and international champion cyclist Nicole Cooke
Nicole Cooke
Nicole Denise Cooke, MBE is a Welsh professional road bicycle racer for the Mario Cipollini - Giordana Team team, and is the current Olympic road race champion.-Early life:...
(Road Race), who also won the 2006 and 2007 Grande Boucle
Grande Boucle
The Grande Boucle, formerly known as the Tour Cycliste Féminin, or simply Tour Féminin, is one of the Grand Tours of women's cycle races. Grande Boucle means "great loop" and describes the individual stages which form a circuit around France....
– the women's Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
, and Geraint Thomas
Geraint Thomas
Geraint Howell Thomas, MBE is a Welsh professional racing cyclist who rides for the UCI ProTour team . A track cycling world champion and Olympic gold medalist in the team pursuit, Thomas has also enjoyed success on the road, winning the Junior Paris-Roubaix in 2004, the British National...
(Team Pursuit
Cycling at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Cycling competitions at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics were held from August 9 to August 23 at the Laoshan Velodrome , Laoshan Mountain Bike Course, Laoshan BMX Field and the Beijing Cycling Road Course...
), who also rode in the 2007 Tour de France
2007 Tour de France
The 2007 Tour de France, the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 July to 29 July 2007. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain...
, Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
gold and bronze medallist in shooting Dave Phelps and Beijing 2008 Olympic
Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Great Britain competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. The United Kingdom was represented by the British Olympic Association , and the team of selected athletes was officially known as Team GB. Britain is one of only five NOCs to have competed in every Summer Olympic Games since 1896...
Silver Medalist (10 km marathon) and Athens 2004 Olympic
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
Bronze Medalist (1500 m freestyle
Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Men's 1500 metre freestyle
The Men's 1500 Metre freestyle event was one of sixteen events for male swimmers at the 2004 Olympics.-Records:-Heat 1:# Charnvudth Saengsri, – 15:54.46# Giancarlo Zolezzi, – 16:00.52# Yi-Khy Saw, – 16:06.38-Heat 2:...
), swimmer David Davies
David Davies (swimmer)
David Davies is a Welsh Commonwealth Games and Olympic distance swimmer. Born in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Davies swam for Wales at the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games and represented Great Britain at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics...
, Cyclist Simon Richardson
Simon Richardson
Simon Richardson MBE is a Welsh paralympic cyclist.-Biography:Richardson was born in 1966 in Porthcawl, Wales, and is the son of John and Diana Richardson. He is married to Amanda and has two sons Ashley and Benjamin. In 2001 he was involved in a car accident which left him with serious leg and...
- double gold medallist at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
2008 Summer Paralympics
The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao....
(1 km and 3 km time trial).
Cardiff is expected to provide training facilities for some visiting teams at the London 2012 Olympics. The Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
may host some events.
School sport
The leading body for physical education in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
is the Association for Physical Education
Association for Physical Education
The Association for Physical Education is committed to being the UK representative organisation of choice for people and agencies delivering or supporting the delivery of physical education in schools and in the wider community....
.
See also
- Association for Physical EducationAssociation for Physical EducationThe Association for Physical Education is committed to being the UK representative organisation of choice for people and agencies delivering or supporting the delivery of physical education in schools and in the wider community....
- Australian rules football in Wales
- Cardiff International Sports VillageCardiff International Sports VillageCardiff International Sports Village is located in Cardiff Bay in the city of Cardiff, Wales. It is one of the largest regeneration projects currently in the UK...
- Sport in AngleseySport in AngleseyAnglesey is independently represented in the Island Games . The team finished joint 17th in the 2009 Games hosted by Åland, winning medals in gymnastics, sailing and shooting....
- Sport in CardiffSport in CardiffSport in Cardiff is dictated by, amongst other things, its position as the capital city of Wales, meaning that national home sporting fixtures are nearly always played in the city...
- Sport in the United KingdomSport in the United KingdomThe United Kingdom has given birth to a range of major international sports including: Association football, rugby , cricket, golf, tennis, badminton, squash, rounders, hockey, boxing, snooker, billiards and curling...
- Sport Wales National Centre
External links
- Association for Physical Education official website Association for Physical EducationAssociation for Physical EducationThe Association for Physical Education is committed to being the UK representative organisation of choice for people and agencies delivering or supporting the delivery of physical education in schools and in the wider community....
afPE