On St David’s Day, Welsh Conservatives have outlined plans to unleash a decade of sporting opportunity and excellence in Wales.
The pandemic has been tough for sport in Wales, especially amateur clubs and organisations who are the backbone of their local communities.
To help sport and clubs recover after coronavirus, Welsh Conservatives would introduce a ‘Community Sport Bounce Back Fund’ to drive up sports participation across Wales. The multi-million pound fund would:
- Work with Sport Wales and other organisations to fund projects to retain and drive up participation
- Establish a network of 3G and 4G synthetic turf pitches throughout Wales to improve access
- Establish a network of Welsh Sports Ambassadors to work with schools to inspire the next generation of sporting excellence, promote engagement in sports and close gaps in participation
- Create an ‘Olympic Wales Programme’ to support talented athletes to succeed on the world stage at the Paralympic and Olympic games
Welsh Conservatives would also prioritise the attraction of major sporting events to create a ‘Golden Decade of Major Events’ in Wales and inspire a generation. We would:
- Ensure Wales could host a ‘Euro 2020’ fixture if the tournament is hosted in the UK-only this summer due to the impact of the pandemic on the continent
- Back a future British and Irish bid for 2030 FIFA World Cup, and explore options to bring other major football events to Wales including the Europa League Final
- Drive forward a joint UK bid to host the 2031 Rugby World Cup
- Offer to host the Invictus Games
- Spearhead a Wales Commonwealth Games bid
- Work with UK Government to submit a bid for the opening stages of the Tour De France to be held in Wales
Commenting, Welsh Conservative Senedd leader, Andrew RT Davies said:
“Community sport is the backbone of Welsh communities but many of our clubs and organisations have suffered badly in the pandemic.
“We must help them on the road to recovery and we will unleash sporting opportunity with a ‘Community Sport Bounce Back Fund’ to drive up participation and get young and old back on the sporting fields and facilities of Wales.
“We will also look to bring the world stage back to Wales in the hope of delivering a Golden Decade of Major Events such as a home nations Rugby World Cup, FIFA World Cup and offering to host the Invictus Games.
“By unleashing a decade of sporting opportunity and excellence, the Welsh Conservatives will rebuild community clubs, inspire a healthier and more active nation, and put sport back at the top of the agenda in Wales.
“And by showcasing Wales to the world we can help our economy recover and create new jobs for Welsh people.”
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