Chester Football Club

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:33 pm on 11 January 2022.

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Photo of Llyr Gruffydd Llyr Gruffydd Plaid Cymru 2:33, 11 January 2022

(Translated)

Thank you for that response. Certainly, we need a pragmatic resolution to this situation. I'm sure you too would appreciate the need for consistency, because supporters have been in touch with me asking why they have to follow the rules if another club can ignore them. And if the Government and the relevant authorities aren't consistent in the way they enforce these rules, then it's only a matter of time before other clubs try to bend the rules and things will get very messy very quickly. 

I have no animosity towards Chester Football Club; it is a club owned by the supporters, and the club has supporters in my own region. I want them to be able to play in front of a crowd, just as I want other clubs in Wales to be able to do that. I heard your earlier response when you refused to consider lifting the restrictions on supporters attending sports events in the open air, but will you at least consider raising the maximum number of supporters so that grass-roots sports can operate, and in the case of larger clubs, for some percentage, perhaps a third or half the capacity of the stadium, as long as social distancing and mask wearing is in place?