Wales bus parade: Welsh to celebrate Euro 2016 success with Cardiff City Stadium party after semi-final exit
The Football Association of Wales have announced details of an open-top bus parade through Cardiff on Friday
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Your support makes all the difference.Wales will return home from Euro 2016 to an open-top bus parade on Friday as they celebrate reaching the semi-finals in France through the streets of Cardiff to what is certain to be a heroes reception.
Despite suffering an agonising 2-0 loss to Portugal in their semi-final encounter on Wednesday night, Wales have been widely applauded for their efforts in France, so much so that even Cristiano Ronaldo labelled them as the “revelation team” of the European Championship.
Thousands of Welsh fans crossed the channel during the month-long tournament to cheer on their country, but as many as 33,000 tickets will be made available for the bus parade party which will culminate at the Cardiff City Stadium where the Manic Street Preachers will also perform.
Of course, fans can line the streets of Cardiff for free, but the atmosphere inside stadium will certainly not be one to be missed once Chris Coleman’s side return on Friday afternoon.
The Wales team will go through a debrief at their training base on Thursday to discuss both the defeat by Portugal and the past three weeks and what it has done for the side, before embarking on their journey home on Thursday morning.
The squad will land back at Cardiff Airport at around 14:30 on Friday, where First Minister Carwyn Jones will welcome them home and pose for photographs on the steps of the aircraft before making their way through the terminal towards two coaches that will have the words “Diolch, Together Stronger” emblazoned on them, according to Wales Online.
A police escort will transfer them from Rhoose to Cardiff city centre, before the players are treated to a private walk through Cardiff Castle before they embark on the tour through the capital at 4pm.
They will make their way down Cardiff High Street before turning onto Westgate Street to head past the Principality Stadium towards the River Taff. Once across the river, the busses will then head down Wellington Street before turning in to the Cardiff City Stadium, with the players and management filling the first bus and the backroom staff on the second.
Once they have arrived at the stadium at 17:30, the party is expected to begin around an hour later, with tickets available to members of the Football Association of Wales from 10:30 on Thursday before the remainder go on general sale with sales limited to two per person.
The Principality Stadium was considered for the celebration, but this weekend’s British Speedway Grand Prix means that option was not possible.
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