Photographer Betsan Haf Evans followed the Cymru Wales women’s football team to their first UEFA EURO Championship.

What gives me the biggest thrill is that my work can travel internationally – even though I work almost entirely in a minority language. In fact, this article was actually originally written in Welsh, and translated into English - to read the Cymraeg (Welsh) version, visit the Croeso Cymru website. 

I’m originally from Pontsian near Llandysul, and now I live in Pontarddulais. I’ve been a freelance photographer for nearly 20 years. When people ask, “What do you photograph, Betsan?” I always answer: people, and the Welsh way of life.

I was in Lucerne and St Gallen taking photos of the supporters, the events, and the music gigs between the big matches. The energy at the Euros was something completely different – on a level I’d never seen before. One thing that struck me was how happy people were to see each other, and how they appreciated each other’s culture. In the fan zone there was loads of entertainment going on. The supporters would walk from there to the stadium for the matches – the Red Wall on the move.

As we walked, the Genod Pres brass band was playing, and women were doing all sorts of tricks with a football. One moment that stays with me is seeing a woman leaning out of a flat window in Lucerne, waving a Welsh flag. Everyone went wild. For me, as someone who had never experienced a fan walk before, it felt like a St David’s Day parade – but abroad.

And what was really special was the feeling that everyone was so grateful to be there. Everyone was so happy, everyone content with whatever might happen – knowing that Wales was in a tough group in the tournament. But it didn’t matter. The important thing was that we were all there together, supporting the team and celebrating the historic moment.

Adwaith and Aleighcia’s performances were full of love and energy – Welsh women bringing Welsh culture to a European stage. I also had the opportunity to photograph special performances by Cerys Matthews, Mared Williams, Sarah McCreadie, Mali Haf, Buddug, Molly Palmer and Merched Gwerin. That was the heart of the Euros for me – a celebration of the whole of Wales. It was more than a football tournament. It was a moment where Welsh women – on the pitch, on the stage, behind the camera, and in the crowd of supporters – showed their place in the world.

I have a brother who is seven years older than me, and he was a goalkeeper. So he needed to practise – which meant me kicking the ball to him all the time! In primary school, I always played with the boys. It felt completely natural. But of course, there weren’t really opportunities for girls to play until I was about 18. By then, I had already gone down a creative career path.

An old college friend of mine, Betsan Wyn Morris, shared the same interest in football – and like me, hadn’t had the opportunity to play when she was younger. But she went back to playing in Cardiff as an adult. Her daughter, Casi, also enjoyed football, and I took a photo of them in their kits for International Women’s Day 2022.

Very sadly, we lost Betsan a couple of years ago. When I got the opportunity to go to the Euros, I thought a lot about her. Over the years, we often laughed about the fact that we not only shared the same name, but also the same interests – football and photography. Because of all those connections, I’m sure she would have been right in the middle of it all with us. The photo I took felt like it gave me strength out in Switzerland. My friendship with Betsan made me more determined than ever to show in my photos that it is now normal for women to play and support football.

Capturing the first time Cymru supporters ever travelled to the Euros to support the Cymru women’s team. Capturing the atmosphere. Capturing people enjoying themselves, singing. Capturing the emotion. And sharing the experience with other women of all backgrounds and ages, celebrating together that we had reached the Euros.

And the best thing is this: in the years to come, people will be able to look back at these photos and feel the energy again – to go back to that moment. That’s the most important thing for me as a photographer.