Why was the great Ian Rush in Caernarfon this week?

Caernarfon has been the place to be for football in Wales over the past week!

Last weekend, Town secured their first-ever venture into European competition and a few days on a brand new 3G pitch has been unveiled at Ysgol Syr Hugh Owen by Liverpool and Wales legend Ian Rush.

The Cymru Football Foundation’s latest Fit-For-Future Facilities funded project has opened at the Caernarfon school renowned across Wales for its football successes.

In partnership with UK Government – the CFF have supported the creation of a brand-new full size all-weather 3G pitch with a grant of £300,000 alongside partnership funding from Cyngor Gwynedd, Sport Wales, and the Football Foundation.

The new much-needed £1.2m facility will be of huge benefit to Ygsol Syr Hugh Owen – the main secondary school for Caernarfon and surrounding villages – as well as the Byw yn Lach Leisure Hub.

The facility will also be utilised by local primary schools, JD Cymru Premier and grassroots football teams.

The investment in Caernarfon is the first of its kind, with the previous facility in the area struggling with the demands having been built over 20 years ago.

Former Cymru forward and FAW Ambassador Ian Rush was also on-hand to officially open the new facility.

Councillor Nia Jeffreys, Deputy Leader of Cyngor Gwynedd and Cabinet Member for Economy and Community, said: “Gwynedd has a rich footballing heritage. But there are challenges facing football in the county with a need for facilities that meet educational, sporting and community requirements across Gwynedd.

“The new pitch will hopefully not only maintain existing participation but will also enable the game to flourish at the grass roots level and engage all sections of society – including encouraging more women and girls to take part in football.”

Aled Lewis, Director at Cymru Football Foundation said: “This new facility in the heart of Caernarfon will benefit so many in the local community and we’re so pleased that we can support a project of this magnitude.
“A huge thank you to UK Government for their support – we look forward to continuing to work with our partners to achieve our goal of Inspirational and Fit-For-Future Facilities across the country.”

The CFF supports the development of football through investment and guidance as it delivers the FAW’s commitment to develop inspirational fit-for-future football facilities that will improve and grow Welsh football both on and off the pitch.

Since October 2022, the Foundation has invested over £9 million in fit-for-future facilities across Wales thanks to support from UK Government, the Football Association of Wales and Sport Wales.

Find out more by visiting http://www.cff.cymru