Dai Lloyd AM hopes Welsh netball success can inspire South Wales West’s children

As the Netball Europe Open Championships arrive in Cardiff this week, Dr Dai Lloyd, Plaid Cymru Assembly Member for South Wales West, hopes that Welsh success will inspire more young people to get involved in the sport.

According to Sport Wales, 32% of girls take part in Netball and between 2011 and 2015 the amount of girls who were “hooked” on sport rose from 23% to 44%.

With netball, and girls’ sports in general firmly on the rise in Wales, Dr Dai Lloyd is delighted to see the European championships come to our capital city.

“This is the perfect time for the championships to come to Wales” said Dr Lloyd.

“Wales have recently hit their highest ever world ranking in the sport, reaching 7th in the world.

“Our national football team’s journey to the semi-finals in last summer’s European championships showed how Welsh success can inspire the younger generation. Let’s get behind the Welsh netball team now and hope that their performances can inspire yet more young people to get involved in what is a growing sport in Wales.”

The European Netball Championships start in the Sport Wales National Centre, Cardiff, on Thursday the 5th of October with a game between Fiji and Scotland at 4.30 pm. Wales begin their campaign against Northern Ireland on the same date, also in the Sport Wales National Centre, at 6.30 pm.