Welsh football fans will hope to raise a glass to honour the players out in Qatar next week, but admirers of Joe Ledley can start now.
The former Wales star and legendary fans’ favourite will be guest of honour at a wine-tasting through sport event in Penarth on Wednesday night (Nov 16).
Hosted by the Speakeasy Club at Old Penarthians Rugby Club, former Cardiff City, Celtic and Crystal Palace midfielder Ledley will be chatting about his memories of Wales’ unforgettable march to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 as well as his time with those three famous clubs.
The wine-tasting will be linked to some of the nations at the World Cup, with a team from The Bottle Shop to offer guidance.
With Wales at their first World Cup finals since 1958, Ledley – who now runs the Joe Ledley Football Academy – will also be taking questions from the floor.
Even without the wine, these are heady days for Welsh football and Ledley says: “I enjoy a glass of red, so this should be a fantastic night.
“Personally, I think we’re living through a time when football is now overtaking rugby as the main sport in the country.
Do you like fun😀 & wine🍷 & sport ⚽️🏉?
In partnership with @thebottleshopcardiff our wine tasting through sport series is back with @joe16led & @byrney_15
For more information click here ⬇️⬇️https://t.co/Y0RTzWmryF pic.twitter.com/ZqiA5XDeJ3
— Speakeasy Club (@SpeakeasyClub1) October 5, 2022
“So, we should now ride that wave and encourage as many young boys and girls as possible to play football and that’s what we are trying to do at present with the academy.
“I get a lot of satisfaction from seeing the kids enjoying themselves and socialising as well as learning the game. I wanted to give something back to the community of Cardiff and south-west Wales where I grew up.
“It’s important to give back because football now in Wales can really move on to a new level, with the men about to take part in the World Cup and the women’s team also thriving. You can see the impact those things are having.
“Some former players are happy just to give their name to a football academy, but I didn’t want to do that. I was determined to be very hands on and involved in all aspects.”
The Joe Ledley Football Academy currently run groups based in Cardiff, Barry and Caerphilly, but are poised to expand into Newport.
For more information and tickets for An Evening with Joe Ledley, visit here.