Athletic Club’s Welsh connections

Matches, players and a passionate fanbase, not to mention the cultural similarities between the Welsh and the Basques, Athletic has a strong bond with the land of druids and dragons.

To celebrate St. David’s Day and our Welsh supporters, we’ve decided to explore those connections in more depth.
 

Matches against Welsh teams

1-2 vs Swansea City – 22/05/1927

Athletic’s first major encounter with Welsh football took place on 22 May 1927, when we hosted Swansea City (then still known as Swansea Town) in a post-season friendly at San Mames.

The RFEF had initially invited the Swans, along with Scottish side Motherwell FC, to participate in the ‘Copa del Oro’, a tournament designed to showcase British football in Spain, but both clubs decided to turn the trip into a wider tour of the Iberian peninsula.
 

*Swansea's starting XI at the old San Mames.

The Lions took the lead via Sandalio Areta in the 24th minute, but Welsh international Wilf Lewis equalised just before half-time. An 85th-minute strike from Jack Fowler secured a 1-2 win for the Swans.
 

1-2 vs Cardiff City – 10/08/2013

Our only other match against a Welsh side took place ahead of the 2013/14 season as we faced Cardiff City in the country’s capital.
Despite dominating the match, Athletic fell to a 2-1 defeat at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Peter Whittingham put Cardiff ahead against the run of play with a stunning strike before the half-time whistle. Frazier Campbell then doubled the Welsh’s side lead in the 52nd minute. Andoni Iraola pulled one back for Athletic with a smart volley.
 

Shirt collaboration with Newport County

Athletic Club and League Two outfit Newport County teamed up this season to celebrate the Basque refugee children that lived in Caerleon (located a few miles away from Newport) during the Spanish Civil War.

The Exiles’ 2025/26 away kit, featuring a red-and-white striped top inspired by Athletic colours, contains the names of the 56 Basque children evacuated to Newport during the war.

Football played a crucial role in the children’s lives, helping integrate into Welsh society whilst also alleviating the distress of their situation.

The group in Caerleon formed a famous football team called Basque Boys FC. They toured south Wales, organising games against local sides to raise funds for their own care and for other refugees. 

The team rarely lost and the Welsh press soon dubbed them the “Basque unbeatables”. Their tour culminated in May 1939 with a match against top school side Moorland Road at Ninian Park, Wales’ national football stadium at that time.

As part of this initiative, Eluned Morgan, the First Minister of Wales, visited Ibaigane Palace (Athletic Club’s headquarters) to officially present the club with one of Newport’s commemorative shirts.
 

Player connections with Wales

Former Athletic striker Fernando Llorente is something of a cult hero at Swansea City. Even though he only spent the 2016/17 season at Liberty Stadium, his 15 goals were crucial in helping the Welsh side avoid relegation.

The target man scored four times in the Swans’ final five matches of the campaign, including the opener in a 0-2 Matchday 37 win against Sunderland that confirmed their survival.
 

 

Manchester United and Wales legend Ryan Giggs received our 2021 One Club Man award. The winger is regarded as one of the most successful Welsh footballers in history. In addition to his 963 matches and 35 trophies at the Red Devils, he also made 64 appearances for the Welsh national team. 

Giggs was also the Wales head coach from January 2018 until November 2020.
 

Welsh Athleticzales

Athletic is blessed with an engaged and passionate fanbase in Cymru, but there are a couple of supporters who we think deserve a special mention.

Christopher Evans, a journalist from Newport, is the author of the first ever English-language book about Athletic Club. Christopher’s love for Athletic originated from his interest in smaller nations like Wales. 

Besides his works about the Lions, Christopher has played a crucial role in researching and keeping alive the memories of the Basque refugee children that lived in Wales, penning several articles about their experiences.

In March 2024, the club invited Christopher and his family to attend an Athletic match at San Mames, where we spoke to him about the book.

Harrison Rowlands, a Swansea native who did his Erasmus year in Bilbao back in 2024, and his Welsh flag have become familiar sights at Athletic in recent times.

The Welshman fell in love with the Zurigorri whilst studying here. He returns often to watch matches at San Mames and has become so obsessed that he even attended every single Champions League away day this season.
 

*Harrison is second in from the right.
 

“Athletic and Athleticzales are incredibly proud of their Basque identity, and you see that in every aspect of the club,” Harrison told Athletic Club. “Welsh people are really proud of Wales in the same way. So, I think that immediately resonates with people here.

“I was blown away by the atmosphere in and around San Mames when I went to my first match. Walking around the city you see athletic everywhere, and you realise how much it means to everyone.

“Being accepted into that community straight away made the connection really quick. It’s become a club I genuinely feel part of and will never lose.”
 

Wales vs The Basque Country at San Mames

The Welsh national team took on Euskal Selekzioa at San Mames in May 2006, the first and only meeting between the two countries.

The Welsh were led by former Real Sociedad coach John Toshack, whilst Athletic legend Jose Angel Iribar managed the Basque Country.

A full house at the old Cathedral watched on as Wales won 0-1 thanks to a Ryan Giggs strike in the 75th minute.
 

 

2018 Rugby Challenge Cup final

Cardiff Blues produced a memorable comeback to beat Gloucester 31-30 in the 2018 European rugby Challenge Cup final in Bilbao.

The Blues were 20-6 down at half-time, but managed to invoke the spirit of San Mames to stun the English side in the second half, with fly-half Gareth Anscombe hitting a last-minute penalty to secure the win.
 

As if there was any doubt! @Gareth_Anscombe showing nerves of steel to win the @ERChallengeCup in Bilbao was your moment of 2018.

Hopefully plenty more to come in 2019 and beyond.

Happy New Year from all of us. pic.twitter.com/WqPDP3fysr

— Cardiff Rugby (@Cardiff_Rugby) December 31, 2018

Thousands of Blues fans were in Bilbao for the final and witnessed the historic moment of co-captains Ellis Jenkins and Gethin Jenkins lifting the trophy together.

At the end of May this year, San Mames will once again host both the Challenge Cup and Champions Cup finals.
 

Brennan Johnson, Europa League winner at San Mames

Welsh international Brennan Johnson scored the only goal of the match as Tottenham Hotspur defeated Man Utd 1-0 in last season’s Europa League final at The Cathedral.

The winger proudly draped himself in the ‘Red Dragon’ flag during the post-match celebrations.