The UEFA Under-19 Championship finals will take place across north Wales between 28 June and 11 July, but the legacy of tournament will last for many years to come with significant investment into stadium infrastructure set to benefit the domestic game.
In addition to Wrexham’s Cae Ras, tournament fixtures will take place at Caernarfon, Denbigh and Bangor, with a number of other domestic stadiums also being upgraded for use as training facilities by the eight competing nations. With an overall investment of around £3m, hosting the finals will leave a lasting legacy that will inspire the next generation of players from the area.
More than £2m of funding has been invested into the project by the FAW and the Cymru Football Foundation, with the remaining investment being contributed by the English Premier League and the UK Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
The Oval is the home of JD Welsh Cup holders Caernarfon Town and has received the biggest investment of over £1m to improve and redevelop their facilities. Headlined by a completely new playing surface and a changing room extension and renovation, the Cofis can continue to build on their recent success on the field with a stadium to match their ambitions.
“The work carried out at The Oval has transformed the stadium,” explained Chairman Paul Evans. “It will be amongst the best in Wales with fantastic modern facilities and a top-class pitch. We hope that what is happening now will make us an even more attractive proposition for supporters and businesses. The project has given the club a huge boost and I believe it will do the same to Caernarfon as a town.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Shon Powell, the Chairman of Denbigh Town, as the club from the JD Cymru North raise significant funds to match the investment to improve all aspects of their Central Park stadium. Like Caernarfon, the benefits of their new facility will spread to the wider community.
“It means the world to us,” Powell explained. “We honestly feel that we have won the small football club lottery. It has made us work hard to raise money and match the funding we have received from the FAW to get us to where we are now. The legacy of this work will be felt in Denbigh for decades to come. For children to play football in the highest specification facilities is just amazing.
“The function room we now have can hold 100 people which we will be renting out, and we have already had different local community groups and charities enquiring for regular bookings. This means that our facilities will be not only used for football at weekends, but used every day, including evenings, for the whole of Denbigh and the wider community. This is a brand-new facility that will benefit everyone.”
The new facility at Denbigh Town’s Central Park will benefit the local community
The tournament coincides with the 150th anniversary of the FAW, and it is fitting that fixtures will also take place in Wrexham, where the FAW was formed back in 1876. It will also be Cymru’s first appearance at the men’s U19 finals, and head coach Chris Gunter is excited about the opportunity of taking on the very best of the European game.
The competition will provide the stage for Europe’s elite young talent to shine and follow in the footsteps of players like Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappé and Andrés Iniesta who all competed at the UEFA U19 finals in their formative years. The next generation of Cymru stars will also be on show, and the opportunity to see these players up close will be inspirational for the youngsters of the host clubs.
“We can’t wait to see the top talent in Europe playing on our pitch,” Evans added. “I have spoken to many people over the past few months who are looking forward to seeing these young stars of the game in action and I am sure that the 300 young footballers in our Academy, both boys and girls, will be inspired by what they see.”
“In years to come we’ll look back at the team sheets, photographs and our own memories of seeing some of the world’s best in our own hometown,” explained Ollie Beech, Media Officer at Denbigh Town. “Our juniors will be hugely inspired by this and can dream of coming through our ranks to play at Central Park and say they’ve played on the same pitch as those players.
“Without funding from the Cymru Football Foundation and our other key partners, this would simply not have been possible. Denbigh is a small town in the Vale of Clwyd where things like this don’t happen. The hard work of our volunteers, running a club as a community interest company where every penny goes back into what we do, has been unbelievable.
“The funding has inspired everyone and allowed us to create something incredible. We’ve worked with local firms to build it, creating jobs and boosting the local economy, all whilst allowing our supporters, volunteers, players and coaches the chance to dream of just what we can achieve next. The legacy of this tournament is endless in Denbigh, even before a ball is kicked.”
Bangor City Stadium at Nantporth will host four fixtures at the tournament and has benefited from an investment of just over £600k, with a floodlight upgrade and new dugouts improving what was already an excellent facility in the area. Bangor City 1876 have just achieved promotion back to the JD Cymru North and can now turn their attentions to a return to the domestic top-flight.
Meanwhile, Colwyn Bay, Ruthin Town, Rhyl 1879, Brickfield Rangers, Buckley Town and Penmaenmawr Phoenix are amongst the clubs that have received grants for pitch renovation and improvement as they will be used as training venues by the competing nations. The investment has also enabled selected volunteers to attend a pitch maintenance course to ensure a lasting legacy of the pre-tournament work.
“It is a huge honour for our volunteer, community-led, grassroots club to be selected to host these international teams and it is something everyone connected with the club is incredibly proud of,” explained Penmaenmawr Phoenix secretary David Roberts.
“Although the overall improvements have unfortunately been more limited than originally planned, we are genuinely appreciative of the pitch renovation work that has been completed. It is incredibly exciting to think that some of the future stars will be training here, and this can only inspire our junior players and show them what can be achieved through hard work, dedication and a love of the game.”
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