Sixth French trip for dedicated fan
A WALES fan who has followed the team across the world for 35 years was set to make his SIXTH trip in three weeks to France yesterday to see the team in the Euro 2016 semi-final in Lyon.
The tournament has fallen during the busiest time of the year for tennis coach Stephen Richards, 52, from Bridgend.
So he’s had to travel home after every match to continue with lessons and tournaments at Bridgend Tennis Club before making his way back out.
And despite the hectic travelling schedule, which he estimates has cost him about £2,000 so far, Stephen – who wears a lucky yellow Wales shirt for each outward journey – has yet to miss a game.
“Hopefully there will also be a seventh trip to Paris if they get through to the final,” he said.
Stephen, who travels to all of Wales’ games at home and abroad with a group of friends, many of which have been able to stay in France this time, said: “It’s been quite hard work.
“We have done some bus trips and some flights.
“The bus back from Toulouse took 20 hours and we were among the fans that got held up at the EuroTunnel terminal in Folkestone on our way to the quarter-final.
“We didn’t think we would make it and then we were fast-tracked through.
“I even had to change from my lucky yellow travelling shirt to my red shirt halfway through the tun- nel as we were so tight on time.”
Stephen, who purchased tickets for all of Wales’ matches through an FAW loyalty scheme before the tournament, was due to fly out to Geneva in Switzerland. From there he would take a bus across the border to Lyon.
Buoyed by the squad’s stunning success, Stephen and his friends had booked the flights before Wales had even beat Belgium and are already thinking of booking the plane to Paris.
“It’s been absolutely superb attending every match,” he said.
“Back over the years there used to be inter-club rivalry among the fans from Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham but now everybody is there supporting Wales and the national anthem is sung three or four times during the game.
“It’s just a brilliant atmosphere.”