Sometimes it’s hard to separate the hype around the football industry. Virtually every weekend is Super Sunday and most matches are described as momentous. Football fans are all still buzzing after Cymru’s tremendous win against Iceland which secured promotion back to Nations League A for Craig Bellamy’s boys.
I don’t need to tell Y Wal Goch/The Red Wall that Friday's first leg play-off final between Cymru and Republic of Ireland at the Cardiff City Stadium is absolutely massive. Win over the two legs and Cymru takes its place next summer at the biggest ever Women’s Euro tournament in beautiful and easily accessible Switzerland. So, Rhian Wilkinson and her players stand on the brink of making history by reaching the finals of a women’s major tournament for the very first time.
And the Euro is one of the very biggest tournament in global women's football - the appropriately labelled “summit” of European competition taking place against the glorious backdrop of the mountains of Switzerland. I’ll confess that I’ve had to rein in my natural excitement when I’m sitting in strategy and Euro planning meetings at UEFA. The plan is to pack stadia in a sell-out tournament and to bring in a swathe of big sponsors.
Extensive broadcast rights are already agreed and, significantly as women’s football has always been about purpose as well as play, the Euro will be the most sustainable tournament ever, with free travel for ticket-holders between the eight host cities .