Euro 2016 qualification to put Wales on global map

Striker John Charles was one of the stars of the Wales team that reached the 1958 World Cup quarter finals

Qualification for Euro 2016 will give Wales worldwide exposure like it has never experienced before.

That is the view of sports historian Peter Stead, who has followed the side for over 60 years and remembers watching the last time Wales qualified for a major tournament in 1958.

He believes the sporting success will benefit the whole country hugely.

Prof Stead also said the team was capable of getting to the semi-finals of the tournament in France.

Wales qualified for the France 2016 tournament on Saturday after Cyprus beat Israel, despite the Welsh team losing their away fixture to Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0.

"I remember not so long ago we were [ranked] 110 in the world. I was deeply ashamed," he said.

"But moving up the rankings puts us on the global map more than anything.

"For example, there is not a great interest in football in America, but I have friends there who have heard of the [Premier League] success of Swansea City. Qualification for Wales is much bigger."

'Huge'

He pointed to the recognition achieved through a successful rugby team, adding: "It [rugby] is only played meaningfully by seven or eight countries, it is not global.

"Football is everywhere. There are natives [of] villages in Africa and Asia who have heard of Ryan Giggs and Gareth Bale.

"This is huge for Wales in terms of possible business and investment."

University lecturer Peter Stead has written numerous books on Welsh football, rugby and music

University lecturer and sports historian Prof Stead is something of a rarity among Welsh football fans. After being born in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, and moving to Swansea when he was 13, the 72-year-old was until recently a season ticket holder at both Swansea City and Cardiff City.

He is also a lifelong supporter of the national side and remembers watching Wales' last appearance in a major championships in 1958, when they got to the quarter-finals in Sweden.

A 15-year-old schoolboy at a time, he said: "They looked like giants to me then, in the Welsh jersey with the big badges. Players like John Charles, Cliff Jones, Ivor Allchurch were like soldiers of the Empire."

But despite their achievements, coverage was a world away from the huge media attention that accompanies the sport these days.

"Back then, I had cricket and the beach as well and there was no altering of schedules to watch the games. All there were were grainy black and white images on television and many people picked up information on what was going on from the papers.

"It had a much lower profile. While there was great pride in what was happening, we didn't realise it was history," he said.

Things have changed, and Prof Stead now describes being a sports fan as "a full-time time job", with so many matches on television and things like social media meaning you can spend your days engrossed in it.

Mr Stead praised Gareth Bale and Ashley Williams for the effect they have had on the rest of the team

While the 1958 team remains Wales' most successful ever side, Prof Stead believes the current crop can dream of going further.

"The results over the last week, with teams like Northern Ireland and Iceland getting to Euro 2016 as well means there will be a lot of teams Wales can beat," he said.

"We need to go in imagining we can win it and we can go a long way. We'd need some luck, and it will depend on the fixtures, but if I fell asleep and woke up with us in the semi-finals, it would be great."

'Place in the sun'

He said the current team is similar in composition to those that have narrowly missed out on qualification in the past, with two or three top level players and weaker areas of the team.

But he said it had been amazing how Gareth Bale and Ashley Williams in particular had pulled the squad together and that everyone else had stepped up.

He predicts a massive Welsh presence in France next summer and said: "I hope this will usher in a new era, with more players who have grown up and learnt their football in Wales coming through.

"But for the fans, especially those that have followed the team for 60 years, we deserve something like this. It is time to take our place in the sun."