An honour and a great opportunity
The biggest sporting event in the history of Wales will be staged in 100 days when the UEFA Champions League final comes to Cardiff.
It is anticipated that 350 million people will watch at least part of the June 3 match.
Hosting the biggest sporting spectacle of the year is a unique opportunity to boost the game in Wales and for the nation to win a global reputation for hospitality.
Can Wales make this the best final in the history of the championship?
This would involve ensuring that players and fans have such an astounding experience that it has to be reported by the 2,500 members of the media who will come to the Welsh capital.
Top-flight sportsmen and women travel between major cities and are no strangers to a lavish welcome. The challenge is to ensure that they and their fans experience such a welcome they will treasure the memories for the rest of their lives.
Wales’ fabulous performance in the Euros means there is new appreciation for this nation’s football talent. A successful event will help ensure that a new generation of players – both men and women – will emerge to build on the achievements of today’s heroes.
The Uefa Women’s Champions League final 2017 will be played at Cardiff City Stadium on Thursday, June 1. This is a tremendous opportunity to win new audiences for women’s football – and to encourage fans to take part in the game at a grass-roots level.
Up to 1,300 primary schools have the chance to participate in an education programme run by the Football Association of Wales.
People of every age in all parts of Wales should be able to share in the excitement as anticipation builds over the next 100 days; 200,000 people are expected to come to the Cardiff fanzone during the week where hwyl of the highest order will be enjoyed.
No opportunity should be missed to maximise the economic potential of hosting the championship. An incredible 10,000 charter air passengers are expected to fly into Cardiff Airport on the day of the final.
This is a chance to show leading decision-makers that this nation is an excellent place to invest. We need chief executives to leave Wales after the match wishing they had booked to stay longer and wondering how they can find an excuse to return.
The event is expected to deliver £45m in economic benefits but the true legacy could be much greater.
Wales’ profile is shining with a new brightness on the international stage. We have hosted the Ryder Cup and the Nato summit and this football extravaganza is an opportunity to drive home the message that the world is welcome here.
This is especially important as we prepare to leave the European Union and the challenge of winning investment will become even more urgent. A great final and showcase for Wales will also help us make the case for critical upgrading of national infrastructure; we are ambitious and want everyone to share in the prize. The Western Mail newspaper is published by Media Wales a subsidiary company of Trinity Mirror PLC, which is a member of IPSO, the Independent Press Standards Organisation. The entire contents of The Western Mail are the copyright of Media Wales Ltd. It is an offence to copy any of its contents in any way without the company’s permission. If you require a licence to copy parts of it in any way or form, write to the Head of Finance at Six Park Street. The recycled paper content of UK newspapers in 2014 was 78.5%