Footballing pigs turn Euro 2016 pundits

It’s the countdown to the biggest game of the year, Wales v England in the UEFA European Championship 2016.

The nation is waiting with eager anticipation for a Wales win and the excitement is building. National Trust  Wales staff are equally keen to cheer on the national team, but it’s not just staff that have enjoyed the build-up to the Euros.

#TogetherStronger

The pigs at Dyffryn Gardens in the Vale of Glamorgan have also been taken with the Euro 2016 spirit.  For months now, they’ve been practising their footballing skills across the gardens, working on their dribbling, headers and tackling technique, while helpfully churning up the soil and maintaining the grounds. 

Head gardener at Dyffryn Gardens, Chris Flynn said: 'The pigs love playing football together because it provides them with healthy and fun exercise, stimulates their brain and makes them happy.'

Victory for the Reds

Our Dyffryn team have been guessing which of the pigs represents the Welsh team in their warm-up matches. They reckon it’s the larger of the two pigs that epitomises the Welsh spirit of Together Stronger. It has to be said that the other pig has only reluctantly taken on the challenge to represent the English team. 

Chris Flynn tried to see if the pigs would emulate Paul the Octopus and do something that could predict the result of the Wales v England game. Throwing a Wales ball and an England ball into the pen, Chris waited to see which ball the pigs went for as a possible sign of which way the game could go.

Both decisively went for the Wales ball and all our Dyffryn staff members (well the Welsh ones anyway) are optimistic that the pigs’ actions are a portent of a victory for the Reds tomorrow.

Front row seats

While the pigs may not be drawing quite the same size crowds as the game in France, visitors from far and wide have travelled to witness this lively pair in action over the past few weeks, with guaranteed front row seats, it’s a spectacle not to be missed. 

If you haven’t managed to get tickets to the game in Lille you can still get yourself tickets to see this pair in action at Dyffryn Gardens this summer.