Let me join, first of all, with Mr Giffard and all colleagues across the Chamber in wishing every luck to the Welsh men's football team this evening. I too am looking forward to watching that game shortly. As Mr Giffard stated, sport does have the power to unite us. That's one of the most fascinating things about sport. Even I, as a frustrated Nottingham Forest fan, can join with Mr Sargeant as a Newcastle United fan to support our country together. And we must acknowledge that, as a country of just over 3 million people, we do continue to punch well above our weight in sport.

As we are well aware, and as has already been mentioned, sport and physical activity are exceptional ways of improving people's mental and physical well-being. What's also been shared here this afternoon are the social and economic benefits that sport and physical activity bring to Wales. It is with these holistic benefits in mind that I'd like my brief contribution, Llywydd, to be focused on the role and the opportunity that, yes, grass-roots sport can bring, but in particular, that elite sport can provide across Wales. I would love at this point to be able to declare an interest as an elite athlete, but sadly I cannot—unless, of course, we include foot golf as an elite sport, Llywydd.

But within the motion today from Mr Giffard, you'll be aware that, as Welsh Conservatives, we're calling for a Welsh talent sporting fund to support talented Welsh athletes to succeed on the world stage, as well as to improve access to sporting facilities. This is because it's clear that there's so much to gain from investing in elite sports. As we know, it is these sportspeople who often inspire in generation after generation for themselves to partake in sports and activities and, indeed, Mr Irranca-Davies mentioned in his contribution—and thank you for enlightening me on Lynn 'The Leap'—how he was inspired by seeing an elite sportsperson and the medal that Lynn gained.

Sadly, though, there is a gap in elite facilities and support, in particular the access for young people from the north of Wales versus what's available in the south of Wales. We do, of course, have Wrexham Association Football Club in north Wales, and my late taid, Hywel Hefin Rowlands, would be very pleased to hear me mention Wrexham football club today, but that is the only professional sports team in north Wales. There's close to a population of 1 million people and just the one professional sports team in the region. And if we looked at rugby as another example, there are four professional regional teams in the south of Wales, but there's yet to be a professional team in the north. That does frustrate me that such concentration of that elite facility and support is, sadly, four or five hours away from many people in the north of Wales. And when it comes to having these professional teams in north Wales and the investment in elite sports facilities in the region, many players and athletes will often see those barriers and will stop either competing or will move across the border to compete in those activities, and that's something that we cannot accept as a Welsh Parliament here this afternoon.

North Wales is also at times left behind when it comes to access for spectators and fans. Just recently, we had the football friendlies before the European championships. However, none of those were played in north Wales, and for many of those spectators, actually, for those evening games, there's no public transport in the evenings for them to get back home as well. So, that's something else that should be looked at to encourage people to get involved and be inspired by elite sport.

So, to conclude, Llywydd, we are a great sporting nation and have a lot to be proud of. However, a lot more work and co-operation is needed between the responsible organisations, and this includes Governments, to ensure that sport in Wales doesn't become too centralised in south Wales and that it is accessible and representative of all of Wales, including the constituents that I represent in the North Wales region. Our motion today, as Welsh Conservatives, would ensure that this gap between the regions is closed by providing support and investment in those elite sports, as well as grass roots, across the country. I urge all Members to support our Conservative motion and to reject the Government's amendment. Diolch yn fawr iawn.