By Paul Jones
Derby day in Welsh women’s football will be beamed into homes across Wales with the first live screening of next week’s clash between Cardiff City and Swansea City.
The first live game to be televised from the Orchard Welsh Premier Women’s League will be broadcast on September 27 on S4C.
The match, which will be played behind closed doors at the Leckwith Stadium on Sunday 27 September, will be shown live on Sgorio, with coverage starting at 3.50pm, kick off at 4.00pm.
Former Wales forward Gwennan Harries, who will be part of the S4C presentation team, said: “The fact that the game will be live is very exciting for the league.
Excited for this!! What a big step for women’s football in Wales 🙌🏽 https://t.co/rQVcDA67k5
— Emma Beynon (@emmabeynon1) September 18, 2020
“The profile of the women’s game has grown so much over the last few years. You only have to look at the crowds that watch the international team to see that the interest is there.
“I hope the league can benefit from this added exposure in the same way.”
Despite the disruptive impact of COVID-19 on last season, the two teams did face each other twice in the league last season. Swansea won 2-0 at home last October, while both sides shared the spoils in the return fixture in Cardiff back in March.
The season was brought to an abrupt end in the same month, but with the Swans having managed an excellent average of 2.82 points per game, they were crowned champions, with Cardiff Met (2.45 points per game) in second and Cardiff City (2.20 points per game) in third.
This is a fantastic breakthrough for the female game in Wales, the work that Ianthe and Lowri @theWPWL are doing to take the league to the next level is superb. @lowri_1987 @thinkorchard @FAWales @SwansOfficial 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/TFh4SJzmCG
— Swansea City Ladies (@SwansLadies) September 18, 2020
Lowri Roberts, Football Association of Wales’ head of women’s and girls’ football, said: “We are delighted that our season will kickstart live on S4C for the first time ever, a landmark occasion for the Welsh Premier Women’s League.
“We are working closely with our media partners to increase the visibility and awareness around the women’s game which will drive further participation and investment into the fastest growing sport across Europe.”
Sue Butler, S4C sports commissioner, said: “S4C is a longstanding supporter of Welsh football and it is an important step in the channel’s history to be showing a live game from the top tier of Welsh women’s domestic football.
“The quality of football and level of entertainment in the Orchard Welsh Premier Women’s League is high and we’re looking forward to an entertaining game between two of the best teams in the country.”
Sgorio: Caerdydd v Abertawe
Sunday 27 September, 3.50pm
English commentary and subtitles available
On demand: S4C Clic, iPlayer and other platforms