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The amateur club that created Wales football motto

FAW The Gorau Chwarae Cyd Chwarae motto FAW
The motto "Gorau Chwarae Cyd Chwarae" was adopted by Wales in 1951 and rebranded to include a daffodil in 2019

Gorau Chwarae Cyd Chwarae.

As the Craig Bellamy era begins, many fans will be familiar with the Wales football motto which roughly translates as “teamwork gets the best results”.

But few may be aware of its origins, and how it came to be so closely associated with the national team.

Before it was adopted by the Welsh national team, it was in fact first used by Pontyclun FC in the 1920s thanks to Thomas Edgar Russell, the club’s goalkeeper and secretary at the time.

"He liked the motto because it emphasised the importance of playing as a team," said the club's current chairman Tudor Davies.

Mr Davies said there has been "light joking" over the years with the Football Association of Wales (FAW) about who should wear the logo, "but it was definitely here that it was worn first and we have been wearing it ever since".

The Rhondda Cynon Taf club was founded in 1896 and today plays in the Ardal League South West – two levels below the Cymru Premier.

Its former goalkeeper Russell went on to be an influential figure in the ranks of the FAW, going on to be president between 1967 and 1972.

As the FAW celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1951, a decision was made that a badge was needed on the shirt, with a motto underneath.

It was then that Gorau Chwarae Cyd Chwarae appeared on a Wales jersey for the first time, in a match against a Rest of the UK team played at Cardiff’s Ninian Park, which Wales won 3-2.

PA Media Wales manager Craig Bellamy during a training session at Cardiff City StadiumPA Media
The motto will appear when Craig Bellamy takes charge of his first Wales game on Friday evening

The motto appeared below a badge of a dragon on a green background and surrounded by 11 leeks, representing the team’s 11 players.

Mr Davies said Russell was "the man to thank for ensuring that the motto was adopted by the national team".

In 2019 the motto was separated from the badge, with the words now surrounding a daffodil on the back of the Wales shirt’s collar.

It will make two appearances this weekend – on the back of the Wales shirts for Friday's Nations League match in Cardiff, as well as on Pontyclun FC’s shirts when they take on Swansea University on Saturday.