With the Welsh football team creeping closer to qualification, CEO, Sarah Powell, looks at the importance of the team behind the team for future Welsh sporting success.
Gareth Bale had one.
As did Aaron Ramsey and Ashley Williams.
Every member of that history-making squad had one. In fact, they still have.
And what is it that I refer to?
Someone who inspired them to start playing sport in the first place.
Many, like me, went straight to social media in a buzz of excitement the second the referee blew his whistle in Nicosia. I was lucky enough to be in Nicosia (a more than well-planned holiday) and the atmosphere was electric.
But 140 characters just aren’t enough to tell the story as well as the picture that flooded my newsfeed. That moment in Cyprus when Gareth Bale ran towards the touchline to share his joy with the manager, team and backroom staff who are making dreams come true for our nation’s football fans.
Most of us will pass a sports field, running track or park on a regular basis and glance at the javelin being thrown, the rugby ball being kicked or the tennis ball being struck.
Often we don’t see the coach, or the umpire, or the PE teacher or the volunteer selling programmes. Whatever their role, these unsung heroes usually blend into the background. They carry on their job unnoticed and often for no other return than the simple satisfaction of being part of something.
Not that they seek recognition or celebration, but they deserve it.
Of course, it’s not just about volunteers. Sport has a highly skilled and educated workforce that supports our elite talents onto podiums. We know that high quality coaching, sports science, medicine and other key roles provide the ammunition that drives success. I’m positive that without this mix of skill and experience, the record breaking 36 medals in Glasgow would have been just another dream.
The Welsh sporting workforce has more than doubled since 2008, from around 110,000 to a record high of around 250,000. Forty per cent of young people and 39% of adults – up from 27% and 29% respectively – now take part in sport three times a week or more. The figures speak for themselves and show an obvious correlation – the bigger the workforce, the more opportunities there are for people to get hooked on sport, and stay hooked.
These levels are already record-breaking for Wales. But we are hungry for more.
We have big ambitions to grow our workforce further. We want 75% of children hooked on sport by 2026. I know this is ambitious but we achieve nothing in sport without having a vision.
When it comes to our workforce, at whatever level, it’s not just about numbers. It’s about having people with the knowledge and skills to do the job successfully.
It’s about having a workforce that is fit to make everyone in Wales a champion. And by champion I mean giving children the skills, confidence and motivation to be hooked on sport, as well as standing side-by-side with top Welsh stars such as Geraint Thomas or Jazz Carlin to provide their own inspiration.
We need the very best people running leisure centres and on boards of sports bodies. We need umpires on our sports fields and teachers in the school yard. They all make up our sporting nation.
We have to plan for the future because the world is changing around us. Technology, social trends and people’s time are changing how people access sport, and play it. Future forms of our traditional sports will need coaches with new skills and referees who understand and can interpret new rules. We will need to work with governing bodies and clubs to ensure we resource and invest in our workforce because it will influence our success in the future.
And we cannot let the usual barriers plague us anymore – to be less likely to coach or play sport because you are female, from a black or minority ethnic background, have a disability or come from a deprived community is unacceptable. We must look at how we are going to reach out to and work with these communities to drive up opportunities to take part. We need people who will be truly innovative and bring new ideas to the table.
has plans to support the workforce. Whether that’s giving volunteers on the ground the tools they need to make things as easy as possible or making coach education easier to access. We want to change the culture of how we look after our volunteers as well as take our experienced athletes and turn them into top coaches. These are all areas that we will focus on going forward.
Now isn’t the time to sit back. If you have time, skills, enthusiasm and a desire to help us keep improving sport then you can be a part of the team too. Every single person will help take us towards our targets. We need you to join our army of volunteers.
As with the Welsh football team, it’s time for us to make the dream a reality.
To nominate a volunteer or coach for a Wales Sport Award visit www.walessportawards.co.uk
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