It’s been a whirlwind first few weeks in my role as Chair of , but I can say, without question, I’ve loved every minute of it.
Surrounded by people who are passionate about sport, I keep getting asked ‘what’s your favourite sport?’ For me, the simple answer is ‘anything’. My history proves I've played most sports, not well by any standards, but I’m sure there isn't a single one I've not attempted. I love trying my hand at something new and I’m passionate about encouraging others to take that first step to getting more active through trying a new sport; simply for no other reason than it is great fun.
Growing up in the Valleys I could fall out of my house onto a playing field or into a leisure centre and I was hooked on being active from a very young age. I’ve always loved outdoor pursuits, like rock climbing and canoeing, and I’ve played squash to a good level, football, rugby, hockey – I just love playing sport.
I must add that I’m not a good spectator. I get caught up in the passion and intensity that sport brings. I was lucky enough to watch the Celtic Dragons netball team play at National Centre recently and my heart was thumping out of my chest as the game ended with just a point separating the two teams. I’m sure at one point I was told to stop ‘passing’ the invisible ball in my hand!
I’m a huge advocate of all the wider personal and social benefits being physically active brings. I train every day, often early mornings at the gym I founded in Ebbw Vale, and I find I am more mentally prepared for the day ahead. Put simply, I would like every person in Wales to get the same benefits from sport.
Sport in Wales has been riding on the crest of a wave and I’ve got big trainers to fill after Professor Laura McAllister’s reign. I hope to continue the momentum, but also bring with it my own take in terms of leadership and governance.
I got asked by a media reporter recently what would be the one thing I want to achieve in my tenure. I couldn’t say one thing because there are three objectives (and these will be familiar to all of you):
1. To get more children hooked on physical activity and sport.
2. To get more adults active.
3. To continue winning medals on the elite stage.
If I start with the elite side, what a time to be joining with the summer we’ve got ahead of us. With Euro 2016 and Rio we have the opportunity to put Wales on the world stage yet again. I’ve been extremely impressed by what I’ve seen so far. Wales has a plethora of world-class athletes and our facilities, personnel and systems are first-class. There is an appreciation that we must continue to improve, continue to innovate and look at new ways of working. I am also looking forward to advocating on behalf of Welsh sport in my role as a Board member at UK Sport.
I am only too aware that all these athletes started somewhere. A gym, track, field or swimming pool in our communities. I want to see a Wales where we continue to nurture talent and ensure that every child and adult can feel the benefits of being physically active. Too regularly we see the reports in our media about obesity and the impact it has not only on life expectancy, but aspiration as well. I want to help change that and build on the good work we’ve achieved together to make being active through sport a natural part of every Welsh life.
To achieve this I strongly believe that we must meet the needs of our customers – the public and our future customers. We have to make sure that we provide the right activities to make sport fun and appealing and ensure that first experiences hook people in so they want to keep coming back again and again. This is particularly relevant when it comes to under-represented groups and providing access to those who haven’t got a background in sport. We should be challenging ourselves to identify those key ingredients that make thousands of people take part week in, week out and what would motivate those who currently don’t to become involved.
Of course there will be challenges along the way. Whether financial or cultural we stand the best chance of success when we face these together. We have to continue to innovate, be smart, challenge and ask the right questions of ourselves.
We need to recognise across the public, private and third sector that we have shared outcomes and, through getting the nation more active, we can all reap the benefits. It is important that we show the preventative benefits of physical activity through sport to health through tangible projects that bring benefits to people in Wales. Similarly, we can evidence the links between sport and educational attainment and I am an advocate of the key part sport and physical activity should have on the curriculum.
More than anything I want to see real gains for our communities. Anyone who knows me will vouch for the fact I am not big on producing weighty documents and having a process for process sake. Everything we do has to be with the view of getting more people taking part in sport for their benefit and adding value to our partners who help us achieve great things. We should remember that behind every statistic is a person, whether already hooked on sport or not, it is our challenge to create a flexible community sport environment that meets their needs. Putting the citizen at the heart of our offer will be central to my thinking.
I am keen to be contactable and open to ideas and new ways of working, even if it will take me a little while to meet all those who are working with us to achieve our goals. We have a positive momentum in sport and even in my first few weeks I’ve been energised by the enthusiasm and drive of those I’ve met to deliver for the nation.
It’s definitely an exciting time for sport in Wales and I hope that I can contribute to maintaining our momentum. I really hope that I can help you achieve greatness and success over my tenure as chair and I look forward to working with you.
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