Sarah McCreadie, Cymru EWRO 2025 Poet

Published Thu 26 Jun 2025 - By Literature Wales

In the ancient Welsh tradition, where bards were sent to record heroic battles and rouse and inspire combatants, we have commissioned Sarah McCreadie, acclaimed poet and spoken word artist, to praise and document Cymru’s efforts in the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 tournament in Switzerland.

Those familiar with Sarah and her work will know that she eats, sleeps, and breathes football! She is as passionate about Cymru as she is poetry. In July, she will follow the squad to Lucerne and on to St Gallen, supporting them as they take on the Netherlands, France and England. She’ll respond creatively to Cymru’s campaign, singing the team’s praises, recounting experiences as part of the Wal Goch, inspiring the younger generation to share their support, and in turn, entertain audiences in Switzerland, Wales and the world.

Between now and the end of the group stages, Sarah is tasked with writing an impressive 15 poems! We’re delighted to kick things off with her first commissioned poem, ‘Rydyn ni yma / We are here’, written after she attended the Cymru squad announcement on the summit of Yr Wyddfa on Thursday 19 June.

Read the poem: Rydyn ni yma / We are here

We’ll post Sarah’s poems on our social media, website and newsletter, so make sure you’re following and subscribing to our channels:

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Sarah McCreadie is a poet from Cardiff and is currently based in Brixton, South London. She’s performed her poetry from Newport to New York. Sarah was named as one of Craig Charles’ Poets of the Year on BBC Radio 6Music. She is an alumna of the Barbican Young Poets, a BBC 1Xtra ‘Words First’ poet and former resident artist at the Roundhouse. Her work has been published in English and bilingually, and she has written poetry for a wide range of institutions, from Vanity Fair to Match of the Day.

Sarah said: “This is my dream! I’m honoured and beyond excited to be the Cymru EWRO 2025 Poet.
“Football and poetry are great passions of my life and are woven together – especially in Wales. Our football folklore, identity, Fishlock’s deft strike of the ball, our Y Wal Goch songs – they’re all poetry!
“Like all Cymru fans, I’m hugely passionate about the women’s game, and want to help elevate it further. I can’t wait to do this through verse. It’s so historic to see our women in a major tournament, and I’m privileged to be handed the Bardd’s pen to capture our adventure. Cymru am byth!”

Sarah is a Welsh learner who weaves y Gymraeg into her poems, however she will work with poet Marged Tudur to translate some of her long-form pieces into Welsh.

Marged is a poet, editor and lecturer from Morfa Nefyn, who now lives in Caernarfon. She lectures at the Department of Welsh at Bangor University. In 2020 she published her first volume of poetry, Mynd (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch), which won the 2021 Wales Book of the Year Award in the Poetry category.

This project, run by Literature Wales, is one of many projects funded by the Welsh Government’s EURO 2025 Partner Support Fund.

Minister for Sport and Culture, Jack Sargeant, said: “Sarah’s appointment as Cymru’s EWRO 2025 Poet interlinks and celebrates our rich bardic tradition with our women’s team reaching a major milestone. This collaboration exemplifies Welsh creativity at its finest, celebrating both our cultural heritage and sporting excellence.
“This project, supported by our Welsh Government £1m Euro 2025 Partner Support Fund, will inspire the next generation whilst promoting Welsh values globally. With Welsh language poetry featured through Marged Tudur’s translations, Sarah’s passion for both poetry and football makes her the perfect choice to capture the historic journey of our Cymru women’s team.”

Although they may seem an unlikely pairing, literature and football have inspired a long-standing partnership between Literature Wales and FAW. Our collaborations have resulted in projects where poetry and creative writing have inspired Cymru supporters, football as a theme has sparked the imagination of young writers, and the works composed have engaged new audiences.

A spokesperson for the Football Association of Wales (FAW) said: “It’s fantastic to collaborate once again with Literature Wales to unite the power of football and poetry, which are both so important to the spirit of our nation.
“We are proud that this partnership honours a rich Welsh tradition, where poets once stood alongside those going into battle to celebrate bravery and inspire communities, and reimagines it for the present day.
“Sarah McCreadie’s work captures the passion, pride and purpose of this historic moment for the Cymru Women’s National Team and Y Wal Goch. With support from the Welsh Government’s EURO 2025 Partner Support Fund, Sarah’s creative poetry brings this journey to life, championing Cymru, connecting with fans old and new, and reflecting the inclusive and unifying nature of football in Wales.
“It also marks progress against our strategic objective in ‘Cymru, Wellbeing and the World’ to appoint a poet in residence who communicates the FAW’s work and amplifies the voices of our football community. We hope this creative collaboration leaves a lasting legacy of creativity and national pride that lives on long after the tournament.”

We will once again work with FAW and other partner organisations on this project, to platform and promote Sarah’s work, engaging audiences who may not consider themselves lovers of poetry.

The body of work created will form a legacy for EURO 2025 that promotes women’s football and values that define Welshness, that empowers and drives participation at all levels, and supports young people’s literacy by inspiring them with a new passion for reading and writing poetry.