Members of the Gol! supporters charity are heading for Skopje to see Wales play Macedonia in a World Cup Qualifying game in September. Cars from north and south Wales will make the 2,000 mile journey through ten countries. The fans will revisit good causes and children’s homes they have been to every time Wales plays an international fixture.
The supporters will be paying their own way to get to Macedonia but they will also be raising much needed funds for the children they will meet on the way in Germany, Kosovo, Albania and of course in Skopje in Macedonia. The cars are being sponsored by local businesses and will be donated to a charity which works with Serbian young people in Kosovo at the end of the trip. Gol! organised a similar drive to Azerbaijan in 2009 and continues to offer help to children’s homes whenever Wales play. It also aims to improve the image of football fans abroad.
The cars will leave Cardiff and Conwy on Tuesday 26 August. The journey is expected to take some ten days and the supporters hope to arrive in Skopje for the Wales match on Friday 6 September.
Gol! was established in Azerbaijan 2002 by fans who wanted ‘to make a difference’ when Wales played international matches. It has been active in more than 30 countries since its inception. Following that first visit to children’s homes in Baku gifts of footballs, kits, toys and donations have become a regular feature of Welsh fans' away trips.
Gol! Trustee, Tim Hartley, who is driving from Cardiff, said, “We have always been made very welcome when we visit countries across Europe with Wales, from Armenia to Latvia to Iceland. This is our small way of saying thank you, give a little something back and by doing so try to raise the profile of football fans who travel thousands of miles to support their national team.”
Richard Jones who is driving from Penmaenmawr, said, “The drive to Azerbaijan in 2009 was both exhausting and exhilarating but my fondest memories revolve around the excitement that was stirred by the children and staff in the children’s homes we visited en route. These children haven’t had the best start in life, and the joy of Gol! is that we as football supporters, and those who sponsor us, are able to give something to make life in these institutions a little more bearable. These initiatives also hugely enhance Wales’ reputation abroad.”
We are particularly grateful to our sponsors for helping buy the cars: Macsen Financial Planning, Vision Communication and Knight Fire and Security. Thanks also to Dainton Brothers Garage Hengoed, Lion Laboratories for providing the breathalyser and to King David Tyres Pontllanffraith (Clive Bond) for all their help in making this trip possible.
- For more information go to - www.golcymru.org
- Contact - Tim Hartley – 07716 812043 or Richard Jones – 07733 012606
- See our Just Giving fundraising page - www.justgiving.com/Rhys-Chester-Hartley