FAW secretary David Collins hopes to gain support
from Scotland.
The Football Association of Wales is considering the possibility
of trying to bring the European Championship finals to Wales in 2016.
At a meeting with Assembly Sports Minister Alun Pugh on Tuesday it was
decided to explore a potential joint bid with Scotland.
"It's worth investigating if Scotland and Wales could put a bid together,"
FAW secretary David Collins said.
Collins is also keen to bring the Uefa Cup final to Cardiff in 2011 or
2012.
A bid to host the 2008 European Championship finals was abandoned in 2002
when Scotland instead chose to partner the Republic of Ireland, only to
be unsuccessful.
Wales were hampered by having just one stadium that met European football's
governing body Uefa's 20,000-capacity guidelines - the 75,000-seater Millennium
Stadium.
But with Swansea City FC's 20,000-capacity Liberty Stadium now finished
and Cardiff City FC's new 30,000-seater home at Leckwith set to get the
green light, the FAW is now in a stronger position.
"We were in discussions with Scotland a few years ago to see if we
could put a joint bid together for the Euro 2008 finals but that didn't
really go anywhere," Collins added.
"It's such a major event that we'd need the Welsh Assembly Government
and the Cardiff City Council, the Millennium Stadium, the police, the
airport, the Welsh Tourist Board, all those people to be on-board."
Despite the meeting on Tuesday, Collins told BBC Radio Wales' Sportstime
programme that the FAW will still not attend the Assembly's review of
Welsh football.
But he insists there is no problem with relationships between the two
bodies and wants the Welsh government's support.
"I am delighted to say that both sides recognise the support that
each party makes to football in Wales," Collins said.
"The Welsh Assembly Government and the Football Association of Wales
will make every effort to continue this excellent dialogue for the benefit
of Welsh football."
One FAW advance is that it ratified a new Welsh Language Policy at an
FAW Council meeting on Wednesday.
The FAW will support staff in learning or improving their Welsh language
skills, while disciplinary hearings will be able to be heard through the
medium of Welsh.
,
13/12/2006.
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