Behindtheheadlines
AS THE road to next year’s Champions League final officially began this week, the expected boost to Wales’ profile on offer from the event being held in Cardiff has been described as “phenomenal”.
The countdown began with the tournament’s draw in Monte Carlo where Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo beat Wales star player and Real Madrid team-mate Gareth Bale and Atletico Madrid player Antoine Griezmann to take home the Uefa Best Player award.
The world’s most-watched annual club football final takes place at the city’s Principality Stadium on June 3, with the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Juventus vying for a place.
The size and the scale of European football’s showpiece final – which also includes the women’s final on June 1 and a four-day festival of football in the capital – is said to be bigger than previous major sporting events hosted by Wales.
With the campaign hot on the heels of Wales’ record-breaking performance getting to the semi-finals at Euro 2016, it is hoped Wales’ international profile can be boosted even further.
All the stops are being pulled out to ensure Cardiff’s turn of hosting the biggest match in club football is a resounding success for all, while economic benefits for Cardiff and Wales are being anticipated, as well as an optimistic boost to tourism figures.
The Football Association of Wales has revealed it is working with the Welsh Government, Cardiff council and several tourism authorities to maximise the number of people staying in Cardiff and the surrounding regions for the finals.
Pledges to ensure Wales reaps the rewards from hosting the world’s mostwatched annual club football match come after it was revealed this week that hotels in Cardiff are already fully booked – nine months before the big game.
It is understood that although some of the bookings will have been made by fans, many other reservations have been made on behalf of tournament sponsors.
On hotel search engine Trivago, none of the 162 hotels within a 10-mile radius of Cardiff city centre are available for the night of Saturday, June 3.
A spokesperson for Travelodge, which has two hotels in the city centre, said: “We are delighted that the 2017 Champions League final is coming to Cardiff. This event is a great opportunity to showcase Cardiff to the world and is also proving to be a popular event for our seven Travelodge hotels within the area.
“We started taking bookings for the Champions League final from July and our Cardiff hotels are almost full already.”
Sponsors could also charter return trains from London, while temporary accommodation in the form of an area set aside for camping – or glamping – might even be set up.
An FAW spokesman said: “In order to maximise the number of people that can stay in Cardiff and the surrounding regions for the 2017 Uefa Champions League final and Uefa Women’s Champions League final, the FAW has been working with the Welsh Government, Cardiff City Council and other regional tourism authorities to increase awareness of next year’s event and to highlight the significant tourism opportunities that it presents not just to Cardiff but for Wales as a whole.
“Further meetings are planned over the coming months.”
The Welsh Government’s economy and infrastructure cabinet secretary Ken Skates said the scale of the event and its impact on Wales’ profile cannot be underestimated.
He said record tourism figures in Wales at the moment are partly due to the increasing profile of the nation on a world stage, especially with the impact of the Euros success.
He said: “The buzz from the Euros is fantastic and hosting the Uefa Champions League final will keep the momentum and focus interest on Wales.
“The Uefa Champions League final will be the biggest sporting event to have ever been staged in Wales.The boost in profile for Wales when an estimated 200 million people in over 200 countries watch the game on television is phenomenal.”
He expects the economic impact will also have an immediate impact on what is already an “incredible” time for tourism in Wales, with the 2016 final in Milan predicted to have benefited the city to a tune of around £45m.
“We are working hard to make the absolute most of this unique opportunity, which has also given us the ideal platform to raise Wales’ profile in the build-up to the Uefa Champions League final next year.”
Cardiff council says it is looking at a number of plans to cope with tens of thousands of people arriving in South Wales for the event.
Proposals include spreading accommodation across a region from Swansea to Bristol and working with Airbnb, which allows people to rent out their own homes, to provide places to stay throughout South East Wales.