Wales superfans record 2022 World Cup charity song to rally team in Qatar
A group of Wales superfans have recorded a World Cup anthem intended to spur on the team as they compete in Qatar and raise money for charity.
Those behind the song 'We’ve Got The Red Wall' hope it will become a hit on the terraces and make it to number one before the tournament kicks off in November.
All the money raised by the single will go to Gol Cymru, the Wales football supporters’ charity that helps underprivileged children in the countries the team plays in.
The track is due to be released on 30 September.
The lyrics and main vocals were created by singer-songwriter and Wales fan, Andrew Dowling. The 37-year-old, from Ton Pentre in the Rhondda Valley, is used to rallying a crowd with catchy tunes as he was crowned 2005 karaoke champion of Wales.
Dowling said he almost instinctively started writing the song as soon as Wales beat Ukraine and confirmed their spot in this year's World Cup.
He said: “When Wales qualified for the World Cup I was so excited that lyrics started coming to mind straight away, and it just sparked from there, really.
“I thought: why not record a Wales World Cup anthem and at the same time try and raise as much money as we can for charity?”
Once the vocals were laid down, fans were invited to a studio in Cardiff to help with the finishing touches, adding authenticity to the anthem by chanting the chorus as well as shouting: “Wales!”.
“This is very much a fan-led thing, we’ve had nothing official from the FAW (Football Association Wales),” Mr Dowling said.
“This has been a real beg, borrow, steal effort to get it recorded and produced and for everyone to be a part of it, and I’m already so bowled over by the support we’re getting.”
Among those to feature on the track is 11-year-old superfan Ioan Walters, from Crosskeys in Newport.
He said: “I’m a big fan of Wales, I go to all the home matches, and I just wanted to be a part of the song.”
Another fan who was excited to be part of the song is Rhys Owen, who lives in Splott, Cardiff. He said: “I just want to make the most of every second Wales is in this position so I thought I might as well get involved.
“With the small number of fans who will actually be able to go out to Qatar, I think things like this are really important to show our support for the team.”
The song features verses in both English and Welsh, while the chorus is in English only, with lines such as: “Support the boys, and make some noise in Qatar”.
Mr Dowling, a Welsh learner, said it was important to him that the song includes the country’s native language.
Welsh football has been credited in recent years with prompting a resurgence of people taking up learning the language.
Having been one of the driving forces behind getting Dafydd Iwan’s Yma o Hyd to number one on the iTunes charts after Wales’ qualifying match, Mr Dowling hopes the success of that campaign will bode well for this new World Cup song.
Lawrence Mora, talkSPORT pundit and creative director of Eat Sleep Media where the song was recorded, has provided commentary over the track.
He told the PA news agency: “I was at the Cardiff City Stadium for talkSPORT when Wales qualified and it was one of the most emotional occasions I’ve ever experienced, so being able to re-enact that again in terms of commentary for the song was really special.
“I’m going to be out in Qatar heading for the USA and Iran game and I’m definitely going to put this on my travel playlist.
“What Gol Cymru do is incredibly inspiring and they’ve done a lot of good all over the world so I would urge people to go out and buy it.
“If not for my vocals and Andrew’s beautiful singing, then do it for the kids.”
The charity’s founder Tim Hartley said: “I really love this song and we are grateful that the proceeds of it will go to helping us help the children.
“Let’s sing it with pride and make it the fan’s own anthem for Qatar.”