I watched the Wales national team several times during the course of the year, and although I was at games as a fan, nevertheless there was still wider context that it was due to working in football, as I get complimentary tickets via the FA Wales and courtesy of The New Saints FC.
The trips to (mostly) Cardiff have become dates in my diary that I always look forward to, and as I get a couple of tickets, I take my wife and we have an afternoon out in the capital prior to the game itself.
In addition, I was at the England C v Wales C international. Played at Salford City’s Peninsula Stadium, this was a working one, as I was there to cover the game, but from the specific angle of Aeron Edwards.
The TNS FC midfielder was the captain of Wales on the day, and as per the year before, when he was joined by Connell Rawlinson, it was a proud moment to watch him in action.
I was also asked, in April, if I would do commentary for the Wales U-18s Schoolboys v Scotland U-18s Schoolboys fixture, as they competed in the Centenary Shield at Cefn Druid’s the Rock.
I particularly enjoyed that and although, as you can see from the lead image, I was wearing my TNS FC clothes, as I went straight from work, nevertheless it was nothing to do with the club itself, as the invitation came from the Wales manager.
It was a big step-up in terms of the technology and equipment that I’m used to working with and I appreciated working at a different level. I produced a short video, that you can watch below.