Watch: The footage that proves there’s no party like a Wales Away party
There has never been a greater time to be a Welsh football fan.
Wales have qualified for the last two European Championships and now sit at football’s top table after 64 long years, after finally qualifying for the World Cup.
If this is a dream, then please never wake us up.
Of course, with success comes bigger crowds and more interest in the national side as the Welsh football message is spread far and wide.
Love, peace and football
Nowhere is this more keenly brought into focus than on trips to far flung foreign lands to follow the Wales team away from home.
Wales Away is now not just a trip, it’s become more a biblical rites of passage for any Welsh football fan.
Wales fans aren’t just supporters in the conventional sense, but they’ve become cultural ambassadors spreading the message of love, peace and football through the medium of drinking, dancing and singing – loudly.
To illustrate the point in a way that words just can’t do justice, here are a selection of videos and images from the most recent Wales Away trip to the Netherlands, where 2,500 Welsh fans, despite the score and the manner of defeat, had the time of their lives.
Enjoy!
THAT FEELING BEFORE YOU HEAD OFF ON A WALES AWAY TRIP
Clocking out of work today for Wales away pic.twitter.com/78OntUmNNz
— Sam Webb (@samwebb27) June 10, 2022
IT’S IMPORTANT TO PREPARE PROPERLY
Me and my eldest lad – doing our first Wales away trip right.
Off to Rotterdam we go
@walesawayfans pic.twitter.com/xVpeVQtAnO
— Rob Griffiths (@ImRobGriffiths) June 14, 2022
GOT A FEELING WE WON’T BE ABLE TO ESCAPE THIS SONG
Hey Siri, play Waka Waka
pic.twitter.com/yblto8AzOn
— Jamie (@JAMlE_ROBERTS) June 13, 2022
THE SORT OF MATHS WE CAN ALL GET ON BOARD WITH
Wales fans + Irish Bar = Carnage. Also, what a place Rotterdam is
— Kevyn Jones (@joneskevyn1) June 14, 2022
WELL WE ARE THE LAND OF SONG
Just your average Wales trip where a fan has a guitar with him !!! pic.twitter.com/0HpEcqdQa8
— Mark Smith (@markccfc70) June 14, 2022
CAN’T FAULT THE DUTCH FANS’ BANTER
Not my pic but worth sharing – have a feeling this will be very meme-able#wales @Cymru #Bale pic.twitter.com/moFssxUsn2
— Gavin Allen (@Gavinallen) June 14, 2022
MORE UNSTINTINGLY WONDERFUL WORK BY GOL CYMRU
Great to meet Simon and Lou-aisa from the Johann Cruyff Foundation. Cruyff wanted to ensure sport was available to children of all backgrounds. We gave €1000 to the foundation so thanks to all who donated and @LeighWales for the pre-match party. Help us https://t.co/d84jVmuSRH pic.twitter.com/faESSBTT7j
— Gôl Cymru (@GolCymru) June 15, 2022
OH CHRIS GUNTER!!!
Wales away
pic.twitter.com/1Ov4tyM085
— Elliot Bate (@EllBate) June 13, 2022
LAND OF SONG PART 2
Wales Away – Calon Lân
Paddy Murphy’s Irish bar
For the @GolCymru pre-match party! pic.twitter.com/IOOjEk03X0
— Pobman o Hyd (@pobmanohyd) June 14, 2022
BEST. ANTHEM. EVER.
Call me biased but this is the best national anthem ever
— Antz_army (@antz_army) June 15, 2022
SO GOOD IT’S WORTH REPEATING
Caru ti, wal goch
— feWales
LOVE A PARTY WITH A HAPPY ATMOSPHERE
Brilliant atmosphere in the away end last night #Rotterdam #WalesAway #MenOfHarlech pic.twitter.com/aULJgrQNWK
— Ian Hamer (@ian_hamer) June 15, 2022
BEST. FLAG. EVER.
Neco pic.twitter.com/WoHiaE4UeU
— Fearless In Devotion – Wrexham AFC pod & fanzine (@fearlessidzine) June 15, 2022
NEW WORLD RECORD SET FOR TOPS OFF, TOPS BACK ON
Netherlands 2 Wales 2 after 92mins (Bale).
Netherlands 3 Wales 2 after 93mins (Depay).
I think I’ll pop the old top back on actually. All the best, take care, God bless, tara pic.twitter.com/uRL1inm0PF— Elis James (@elisjames) June 14, 2022
THE DUTCH LOVE US
Never seen anything like the Wales fans. What an incredible immense crowd. Couldn’t hear anything but Wales fans. Also so friendly in defeat. Kudos to them. Still felt insane rubbing that 3-2 in their faces haha.
— frenkiestyle (@frenkiestyle) June 14, 2022
AFTER PARTY – PT1
—
AFTER PARTY – PT2
Was mental in there
pic.twitter.com/lhC1JwQ5Q4
— Mike Jones (@mikejonesrfc) June 15, 2022
AND THE PARTY NEVER ENDS…
Leaving the ferry 7am
#WalesAway
— Josh Garfield
YEAH, BUT IT WAS WORTH IT
The two week recovery from Wales away begins #WalesAway pic.twitter.com/RkionySqhK
— The Bob Bank Village
CHECK OUT THIS BRILLIANT THREAD WHICH ENCAPSULATES THE WHOLE WALES AWAY EXPERIENCE
Netherlands (A): a thread
Lairy from start to finish. Staff there were legends imo, so welcoming (like most of the Dutch we met) pic.twitter.com/qavDF3pssK
— Pobman o Hyd (@pobmanohyd) June 15, 2022
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“Wales fans aren’t just supporters in the conventional sense, but they’ve become cultural ambassadors ..”
This is so true – there is a responsibility when following Wales home and away.