IF a man is defined by where he came from then I could be called many things but a North Walian I am not.
I have tried to be supportive of the new region in the making which will see a new side launched in the next few years.
However I cannot hide my true feelings and the fact is the Gogledd set-up is as much about Mid Wales as the Menai Straits.
I am fed up of the chief decision makers of Welsh life and sport failing to appreciate the massive difference between Mid and North Wales.
In terms of grants and funding anything that is developed in North Wales is supposedly going to benefit Mid Wales too. In terms of sport our football clubs and must travel the length of the country to play on North Walian pub pitches because Mid Wales is still not seen as a region in its own right.
So coming back to this new regional rugby side it begs the question how exactly does a team playing all its home games in Colwyn Bay actually represent Mid Wales rugby?
The answer of course is that is doesn't know and it won't in the future. We will always be paid lip service but this is not our regional rugby side. It will belong to the north.
I do not begrudge them. Colwyn Bay Town Council worked overtime in getting Parc Eirias up to scratch and I know there are a lot of people working toward making Gogledd Cymru a success.
However as a Mid Walian it will not a success I celebrate or a failure that I commiserate for the simple reason that I AM NOT NORTH WALIAN!
This month Gogledd Cymru integrated 1404 into its name. This was supposed to recognise the starting date of Owain Glyndwr's parliament in Machynlleth. Are the organisers that desperate to find a Mid Wales tie-up for this new side that they are prepared to go back 606 years!
I am not being unreasonable to ask for this region to be treated like the other Welsh regions? Does a Llanelli man feel like a Swansea man. No. Does a Gwent man claim to be from Cardiff. No.
Then why should Mid Wales rugby fans feel anything for a side which claims to represent them based over 100 miles away and with more Canadians in their squad than Mid Walians
On their website the Gogledd Cymru organisers proudly state "BE PART OF WHAT WE'VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF - REGIONAL RUGBY."
Unfortunately this is not a dream Mid Wales will share.