Wales football manager Rob Page believes he has seen the future for a bucket hat-wearing young generation being inspired to get active, passionate and knowledgeable about the power of sport.
Having guided his country to the World Cup finals for the first time in 64 years, Page is convinced of the effect heroes such as Gareth Bale, Ben Davies, Neco Williams and Ethan Ampadu are having on youngsters across the land.
With interest also surging in the national women's team - and record crowds following the likes of Sophie Ingle, Jess Fishlock and Carrie Jones - football's ability to get kids turned on to fun, physical activity has never been more clear.
“There is a great buzz about the country at the moment," says Page, who will be the first Wales manager since 1958 to lead his team onto sport's biggest stage.
The power of Bale and Fishlock to spark excitement was evident to Page when he recently met up with a friend.
"My best mate lives in Barry and his son was in a tournament in Sheffield," says the former Watford player.
"So, I went along and watched two games involving 12-year-olds.
“They were all on the coach going up, with their bucket hats on, singing ‘Yma o Hyd’, driving their parents mad.
“That is what we are creating here. By the first team doing so well, we are inspiring the next generation of kids coming through.
"They are boys and girls who want to get out there and play football. It’s fantastic.”
Aside from the hosts Qatar, Wales will be the smallest nation at the finals - a tribute to the management skills of Page, who, like Jimmy Murphy in 1958, is a manager who learned to love football growing up in the Rhondda Valley.
There was a truly special atmosphere in Cardiff as Wales beat Ukraine to clinch their place - a night rich in cultural and historical significance.
The war in Ukraine had given the game an extraordinary background, with neutrals around the world hoping the yellow and blue flags might be waved at the finals.
Welsh supporters were hugely respectful and generous hosts on an emotional evening, where the national identities of both countries were celebrated in a way everyone was able to enjoy.
Gemma Grainger's women's team have their own chance to create history when they play Greece and Slovenia in September as they aim for a play-off spot for the World Cup.
If successful, they would further cement Wales’ football legacy from this current generation of incredible players.
Football tops the league in global reach with the viewing figures for the World Cup finals being bigger than those of any other sports event, including the Olympic Games.
It's an opportunity for every country to celebrate and inspire - whether they be adults in the stadium or the children on the bus alongside Page, singing Dafydd Iwan's stirring adopted anthem for this current team, Yma O Hyd.
