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Wales goalkeeper Danny Ward joins hometown club Wrexham

Wales goalkeeper Danny Ward joins hometown club Wrexham

The 32-year-old, who was born in the Welsh city and came through the club's academy between 2007 and 2012, has joined on a free transfer after agreeing a two-year deal.
Ward was a free agent following the expiry of his contract at Leicester and joins the club owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney following their promotion to the Championship.
Wrexham in his veins and ice in his cold brew. Welcome back to the STōK Cae Ras, Danny Ward 🧤
🔴⚪ #WxmAFC
— Wrexham AFC (@Wrexham_AFC) July 1, 2025
He said: 'It's an exciting time and an amazing feeling to be back at the club.
'I'm forever grateful for the opportunity that the club gave me at an early age and I hope I can repay that.'
The Wales international, who has won 44 caps, joined Wrexham a a 14-year-old but never featured for the first team before being sold to Liverpool in 2012.
He subsequently moved to Leicester in 2018, making 52 appearances in seven seasons before leaving this summer.
Phil Parkinson's Wrexham are preparing for their first season back in the second tier since 1982 following a meteoric rise under A-list film stars Reynolds and McElhenney.
Parkinson added: 'We're delighted to welcome Danny back to Wrexham. He's a keeper with a lot of experience and he's going to be a great addition to the squad.'
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Underrated family day out in Cardiff both kids and parents will love for less than £40
Underrated family day out in Cardiff both kids and parents will love for less than £40

Wales Online

timean hour ago

  • Wales Online

Underrated family day out in Cardiff both kids and parents will love for less than £40

Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Allow me to tell you about an underrated family event in Cardiff that you can walk to within minutes from the city centre, take your own food, which you and your kids will love, costs less than £40 for a family of four and yet you've probably never thought of going to. Last week we went to Sophia Gardens, the home of Glamorgan Cricket, to watch the T20 Blast cricket and within a few minutes of the first ball being thrown I turned and asked: 'Why aren't more people here doing this?' Now I'm from a family of cricket fans and grew up watching it at various levels but if you don't know anything about the game, this is a great intro to it. It's two teams playing 20 overs of cricket each. With six balls in each over the whole game is short and sweet, which is important when two of your fellow spectators are under the age of six. Play started at 2.30pm and was finished by 5pm but, crucially, that's not sat in silence. Noise and cheering is encouraged and there are plenty of interactive bits in between to keep your small people happy. Never miss a Cardiff story by signing up to our daily newsletter here . For adults there is live sport, bars, street food, and on our day, glorious sunshine – although rain does stop play in cricket so keeping half an eye on the forecast is a good idea. We'd bought earlybird tickets which were £13 an adult and £5 for kids but there are a whole host of ticket deals. As an example advance tickets are £18 for this weekend's double-header for both the women's and men's Glamorgan teams. As we arrived at the ground the kids were given free cards to hold up when a four or six was scored while they also got paper glasses to wear. (Image: Kian Abdullah/Huw Evans Agency) Unintentionally, but by happy coincidence on our day, it was emergency services day so there were motorbikes to sit on and fire engines to explore. The cricket nets were open and there was free face painting and some great giveaways from the police – thankfully when our youngest fell over she did so in her new police helmet and escaped any injury. As their parents made their way to the bar we spotted former Welsh rugby star Josh Navidi DJing on top of a bright pink pop-up bar as our pints (£6.20) were poured. As the seating was unreserved we could pick an area with room for the littlest fans to roam and before long the mascot, Dewi the dragon, was making his way around the crowd waving. The first ball was bowled at 2.30pm and almost immediately the cries of: 'I'm hungry' came out – but because you can take your own food and drink in (excluding cans and alcohol) we handed both kids picnic boxes and that kept the youngest entertained for a good few overs. Our eldest was getting involved in the game, asking questions, waving at the mascot, cheering, and trying to join in with the chants. On our way in we'd been directed by a steward to get a wristband in case the kids went AWOL, which included a QR code to scan if we lost them. The super-friendly steward also explained that at the halfway point of the match the kids can head to a meeting point and go on a tour of the pitch. So, as the players took a refreshment break, we joined dozens of others kids of all ages – and some incredibly lovely stewards – for them to walk around, wave at the crowds, and see the players warming up nice and close. (Image: Kian Abdullah/Huw Evans Agency) The crew who were doing the broadcast content for the big screen were playing games with fans between overs, handing out T-shirts, and even presided over some giant apples being pushed around for a half-time game, which all added to the entertainment value for our kids. As Glamorgan scored the winning runs I couldn't quite believe that we adults had got to see almost every ball – I had feared we'd be chasing them around the concourse or sat hearing the cheers from the crowd from afar. As far as I was concerned that's an unmitigated success. Yes, I'd taken a well-stocked bag of snacks but I wasn't compelled to spend a lot of money to keep the kids' bellies full and in return the kids (as well as us adults) had had one of those experiences we're really blessed to get on our doorstep by living in a capital city. The 20/20 Blast is one option which is probably suited to kids at the younger end of the scale because the games are short. But if a test match isn't quite your vibe there's also The Hundred, where the stage, fire cannons, and music and games are pitchside. It's louder but all that too will definitely buy you enough time to sit back, relax, and soak up the live sport right here on your doorstep. You'll see us there.

No-nonsense Welsh pub has no TV or live music but even attracts royalty
No-nonsense Welsh pub has no TV or live music but even attracts royalty

Wales Online

timean hour ago

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No-nonsense Welsh pub has no TV or live music but even attracts royalty

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His security checked out the place beforehand. When three black Range Rovers turned up outside we all knew that he had arrived. Richard Bennett and his wife Jo Bennett with Prince Albert of Monaco at the pub (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne ) ‌ "He was a brilliant guy – really easy to speak to. He had a look round the brewery and everything. He had some friends locally and had come down to see the Six Nations in Cardiff so he had his Welsh scarf on... it was a surreal experience." Other than the social aspect a major attraction for customers, is of course, the beer – especially with Richard running his brewery at the back of the pub. His hands-on approach ensures that whatever is poured at the bar is fresh and distinctive. When asked which beer stands out Richard doesn't hesitate. "Our Pilot Gold," he says. 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McIndoe's men stung by The Jags
McIndoe's men stung by The Jags

Edinburgh Reporter

time2 hours ago

  • Edinburgh Reporter

McIndoe's men stung by The Jags

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