A TRANSGENDER football fan from Powys will be among a host of Wales supporters to feature on the nation’s official song for this summer’s European Championships campaign.

Charlotte Williams’ vocals will appear in ‘The Red Wall of Cymru’ for the Euro 2020 campaign – being played this summer after last summer’s tournament was postponed due to Covid-19.

The song has been written and performed by Welsh rock band The Alarm, whose lead singer Mike Peters wanted to involve members of Wales’ renowned ‘Red Wall’, and travelled up and down the country meeting fans post recording to be part of the process.

Charlotte has been going to Wales games with her dad for the last 20 years, and can’t remember the last time she missed a home game.

A media lecturer in Oswestry, she grew up in Rhymney, near Merthyr, but has lived in Welshpool for the last seven years. She has been transgender since coming out in 2015.

And Charlotte says the inclusive nature of Welsh football and diversity of the Red Wall has helped her.

“That diversity and inclusivity, that’s the one thing I really love about Welsh football, from top to bottom,” she said.

County Times: Wales fans Charlotte Williams (r) and Ben Gwalchmai outside Newtown's Latham Park. (Pic by John Smith/FAW)

Wales fans Charlotte Williams (r) and Ben Gwalchmai outside Newtown's Latham Park. (Pic by John Smith/FAW)

“It’s not just at the international level but even at the local level, there’s such a good sense of community at Welsh football clubs. At international level we have this huge wall of individuals who, rain or shine, win or lose, people are willing to get behind the players, manager and give it a go. We can lose and shrug it off because we know good times always round the corner.”

And she singled out Wales’ legendary goalkeeper Neville Southall, the country’s most capped player until recently being overtaken by centurion Chris Gunter, as another inspiration.

“The one thing that has helped me, being openly transgender, is Neville Southall, because he’s a big advocate for LGBT rights, and especially trans rights. He’s a really openly supportive individual.

“Having that help and support, from Welsh football royalty, has helped. When I first came out I messaged him directly, saying I was worried about going to games, but he told me to go and enjoy it, he told me ‘nothing will happen at a game’, and he’s suffered his own mental health issues and is always so open and engaging on Twitter.

County Times:

Neville Southall

“There are moments in games when people have had a beer but I think we’ve got such a modern, progressive movement within Welsh football.”

That welcoming and accepting nature is something Charlotte says she’s also experienced while watching local football in Powys – she’s an avid Welsh Premier follower, and likes to go to watch a host of teams – pre-pandemic of course.

“I float around a lot of places. I go to Newtown games, Bala, TNS and try to go to watch Welshpool when I can too,” she said.

“I like going to different stadiums and watching different teams. Bala has a really vibrant, burgeoning football community. I remember when I went to Newtown for the first time and was amazed by how big and nice the ground is. I was only used to muddy rugby grounds growing up in south Wales.

“There’s always that worry when you first go to a new stadium, you wonder will be people be nice, will they be accepting?

“But I don’t think I’ve never had a negative experience from any of the Welsh Premier clubs, they’ve always been really good. It’s always been really positive. There’s maybe the odd comment off some drunkard but at the football all that is lost in the feeling of togetherness and everyone being together.”

Speaking of her earliest memory of a Wales game, the 32-year-old recalls the famous 1-0 friendly win over Germany in May 2002, Robert Earnshaw bagging the only goal against the team who would go on to be defeated 2-0 by Brazil in that summer’s World Cup final.

“My dad dragged me along over the years and watching Wales has stuck,” said Charlotte.

“As we’ve got older I drag him to games now. We went during the Euros in 2016 but we’re big home fans. I can’t think of the last time we missed a home game.”

Gary Speed was part of the triumphant team that May 14 evening at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium against Die Mannschaft, and Charlotte believes his influence on Welsh football, and subsequent death in 2011, plays a huge part in the community that the Red Wall has helped build and the ‘Together Stronger’ motto that seems to embody the Wales national team.

“It is and always has been a very strong, deep rooted bond, especially during hard times,” said Charlotte, a media lecturer in Oswestry.

County Times: Charlotte Williams (Pic by John Smith/FAW)

“Obviously, there’s been 60 years of nothingness and getting close or nearly getting there in Welsh football, until we did so well at Euro 2016.

“Gary Speed arriving as manager was the big moment where fans got behind the team and started building a community. It fermented that feeling of togetherness and doing it for the team and for Wales.

“I know it got me wanting to go to games and wanting to take part in the video for the song this summer. They’ve given me so much over the years so it was nice to give a little back to something that’s meant so much to me.”

The Red Wall of Cymru will be released as part of a three-track Alarm EP available on CD, stream and download on Friday, May 28. A record store day vinyl with alternative demo versions will be released on June 12, the same day Wales face Switzerland in their opening game of Euro 2020.

Proceeds from the record will go to the Love Hope Strength Foundation, co-founded by Peters.