Join the FAW in celebrating Black history across Welsh football on RedWall+ this Black History Month, and beyond.
The FAW’s free streaming service, RedWall+ is proud to showcase a number of episodes and series, from documentaries to music videos, that celebrate the invaluable contributions and achievements of the trailblazing Black Cymru players and Black artists who continue to shape Welsh culture.
The Dragon On My Shirt
The Dragon On My Shirt series, written and presented by Darren Chetty, is a five-part documentary series exploring Black and Asian heritage footballers who have represented Cymru, and the work being done to make football in Wales more inclusive.
The series aims to drive change by tackling racism and amplifying the stories of Black, Asian and Ethnically Diverse Cymru players.
The Dragon On My Shirt begins with Eddie Parris, who in 1931 became the first Black player ever to play football for Cymru. Darren speaks to the people who have been working to research and memorialise Eddie, including historian Professor Martin Johnes and Professor Uzo Iwobi CBE, Chief Executive of Race Council Cymru, as well as local historian Liz McBride and councillor Armand Watts.
The series features interviews with Cymru players George Berry, Wendy Reilly, Safia Middleton Patel, Robert Earnshaw, Nathan Blake, and Neil Taylor. Each episode includes in-depth interviews with the players themselves, as well as footage and photographs from the era and the players’ personal collections.
Alongside the five thought-provoking episodes, Darren provides questions to spark conversations in clubs, organisations, and schools across the country. By engaging with these topics, we hope to foster dialogue, understanding, and awareness, ultimately combating racism and promoting inclusivity. A presentation to support these discussions can be found here.
Robert Earnshaw
Former Cymru star, Robert Earnshaw, features in The Dragon On My Shirt series as well Celf Crys Cymru and hosts his own FAW Coaching Masterclass on RedWall+.
The Celf Crys Cymru documentary sees Earnshaw take us on a journey through time to discover the art of the Cymru shirt. We get to see how the kit has evolved from its very beginning to the present day. Meeting with the artist behind the most recent kit, former Cymru men’s and women’s international players also talk about their experience and love for the shirt, and learning exactly what it means in terms of national identity.
Earnshaw takes you into the mind of a striker in his Masterclass feature. Find out why they make the decisions they make, what they do when no one’s looking, and how they always seem to be in the right place at the right time.
Carnival
Carnival celebrates Butetown Carnival, one of Wales’ oldest and boldest celebrations of cultural diversity, bringing together individuals from all backgrounds together to enjoy the vibrancy of the nation’s capital.
One of the lead organisers of Carnival, Keith Murrell, takes us on a journey to meet aspiring artists in Wales today, and discuss how Welsh football in the last decade has contributed to a sense of cultural diversity across the nation.
The artists featured in Carnival include Unify Creative who have their own feature on RedWall+ as part of the Wales on the World Stage series. Unify Creative are a Welsh art duo, Yusf Ismail and Shawqi Hasson, making a mark with bold, powerful street art. They talk about representing Wales at the World Cup in Qatar with the support of Wales Arts International.
Music artist Juice Menace also features in Carnival. Juice talks about how she teamed up with the FAW Ahead of Cymru’s key 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers against Greece and Slovenia, to release an exclusive track, ‘FOR HER’.
The track focuses on Cymru’s ‘For Us, For Them, For Her’ messaging, focusing on inspiring a future generation of footballers, acknowledging former Cymru internationals that paved the way and the goals and aims of the players in the squad. You can watch the ‘FOR HER’ music video on RedWall+.
Wales on the World Stage
Wales on the World Stage is a series following different artists celebrating and showcasing Welsh culture. The series feature Unify Creative, Sage Todz, Lemfreck, and Mace the Great.
In this series Welsh rapper Sage Todz discusses representing Wales at the World Cup in Qatar with the support of Wales Arts International.
Ahead of Cymru’s FIFA World Cup Play-Off Final against Ukraine, the FAW teamed up with the Welsh drill artist to release an exclusive track ‘O HYD’. The track begins with a passionate sample of legendary folk artist Dafydd Iwan’s Yma O Hyd, before leading into Sage Todz’s exciting rap. The ‘O HYD’ music video can also be watched on RedWall+.
Like Sage Todz, Welsh rap artist, producer and writer Lemfreck and Welsh grime and hip hop artist Mace the Great also talk about what it was like representing Wales and Welsh culture at the World Cup in Qatar in the Wales on the World Stage series.
My Club: Cardiff Warriors
This My Club feature follows Cardiff Bay Warriors, a community-led team at the heart of the city’s centre, made up of young men from Somaliland heritage who recently became champions of the Somali British Champions League.
Meet them after being made victorious, follow them throughout their celebrations and understand the importance of football upon a community in this My Club documentary.
You can download the RedWall+ app or stream all of this content for free now at redwallplus.wales
