Guest blog: Llinos Williams from Alaw, discussing the collaboration between Alaw and the Football Association of Wales as they set out to lead on the “Red Wall in the Community” project.
The aim of the scheme was to bring the bilingual spirit of the Red Wall into the heart of several Welsh communities, as well as to celebrate the energy of the Red Wall at grassroots level by organising a series of local events within ARFOR communities.
This was a scheme launched by the Football Association of Wales, with support from ARFOR. The aim was to take the bilingual spirit of the Red Wall into the heart of some Welsh communities. Between May and December 2024, 11 events were held in the counties of Anglesey, Gwynedd, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, celebrating the excitement of the Red Wall at grassroots level. These were family events, ranging from live music to football workshops, with some stars of the sport appearing at certain locations. The aim was to use the success of the men’s and women’s national football teams to bring together people, businesses and the arts in communities across the four counties.
Collaboration with local businesses, community groups and football clubs was central to the events. In addition to creating social media content from each event, educational content was produced to introduce Welsh football terminology to people. A video was also created discussing the project and showing how football contributes to ARFOR’s core messages, which include promoting the Welsh language and strengthening the local economy.
Examples of the events held include: A family event in partnership with Menter Môn, Môn Actif and Llangefni Football Club on the evening of the Wales v Gibraltar match, as part of the Gŵyl Cefni celebrations; Supporting a new family festival in Aberporth by working with Aberporth Football Club and Cered to organise football workshops and artistic elements; Football workshops and a full programme of arts activities in partnership with Dolgellau Football Club and Sesiwn Fawr Dolgellau.
The original aims of the proposal included working with football clubs and local communities in the four ARFOR counties to create hubs, using the power of football to unite people, businesses and the arts.
The aim was to replicate the excitement and atmosphere of Wales international matches in Cardiff. In addition, the Football Association was keen to visit communities to meet supporters who travel long distances to the capital to watch Wales matches, as well as away games. These are people who make a big effort, and the Association wanted to give something back to them.
There was an emphasis on holding family events, ensuring social and cultural benefits for future generations. Without doubt, this aim was achieved, with every event full of children, young people and families enjoying social and artistic activities through the medium of Welsh.
One of the project’s main objectives was to build links with the business world and keep money circulating locally. Local companies were used at every event.
As well as creating a Welsh-language space at the events themselves, another original aim was to create a digital space through the use of social media channels and the Football Association of Wales’ streaming service, RedWall+. This was achieved, with a video from each event shared on the Association’s Facebook, Instagram and X channels.
The main challenge of this project was ensuring that the success of the Red Wall reached grassroots football and the communities of our local clubs.
The Football Association has made a huge effort over the years to give a platform to our language and culture at international matches. The challenge, however, is ensuring that this filters down to grassroots clubs. In this respect, it was clear there was an opportunity to use the power of football to unite communities and create spaces for the Welsh language and Welsh culture.
As mentioned already, the Welsh language was central to all the events held. According to the communities involved, events of this kind are vital in sustaining those communities and in promoting the language in their areas. There is a gap and a lack of opportunities to bring people, businesses and organisations together under the banner of the language, and the events in this project were an excellent way of doing that.
