FAW wants more major finals in Wales after Champions League

Real Madrid celebrate winning the 2014 Super Cup in Cardiff

The Football Association of Wales is considering a future bid to host another Champions League final.

Wales host the showpiece event on Saturday, 3 June, at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

Speaking to BBC Wales, chief executive Jonathan Ford said he "would love the FAW to be considered in the future to host these major events".

He also said Wales' run to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 has boosted their standing in the game.

Hundreds of millions of people around the world are expected to tune in to watch the Champions League final live.

Ford said the FAW had built up its credentials in hosting major tournaments and matches, and he wanted more.

"We do not want it to just stop there in June," he explained. "We would like to continue to do it."

Wales has already hosted the Uefa under-19s Women's championship in 2013 and the Super Cup final in 2014, but the Champions League final is a giant step up, with estimates it will generate £45m for the local economy.

"We are at the business end now," Mr Ford said.

"We have got a team of 12 people at the FAW working full time on it, and in Wales alone there are probably several hundred people working on it.

"That will go up when Uefa are over here and if you add in the volunteers and the people working in the stadium then you are probably talking about four to five thousand people who will work this event.

"There is a lot of work being done to make sure this is successful and to make sure we utilise it to achieve the objectives we have with football."

Hundreds of thousands of spectators - with and without tickets - are expected to travel to south Wales in the days leading up to the final, with the FAW, police, governments and local authorities involved in a huge logistics exercise.

England manager Fabio Capello gestures during the Euro 2012 Group G qualifying match between Wales and England in 2011

Details of road closures and restrictions in the Welsh capital are yet to be officially published, but significant disruption is expected.

Major sporting events in the Welsh capital have been dogged by transport problems in the past, down in part to capacity issues at Cardiff Central railway station and pinch-points on the M4 at the Second Severn Crossing and Brynglas Tunnels in Newport.

BBC Wales has been told that 10% of the UK's entire rolling stock of coaches will be used to bring fans in and out of Cardiff on the day of the final and 21 intercity trains will be in place after the match to take supporters from Cardiff back to London.

Wales take on Ireland in a World Cup qualifier on Friday, still unbeaten in their group, but needing a win to improve their chances of qualifying for the finals in Russia next year.