Disability Sport Wales
Chwaraeon Anabledd Cymru

CAMPAIGN PUTS COACHES AND VOLUNTEERS IN FOCUS

From gold medal-winning Olympians and Paralympians to Welsh rugby and football stars; eleven of Wales’ sporting heroes of the moment have thrown their weight behind Sport Wales’ latest campaign, Behind Every Star.

Whether on the sidelines of a Saturday morning five-a-side match or an FA Cup Final, Behind Every Star, is celebrating and recognising the hard work and dedication put into sport in Wales by coaches and volunteers all across the country.

In a bid to inspire the people of Wales to play their part in creating a nation of champions; esteemed photographer Terry Morris has turned his attention to the world of sport capturing the likes of Lions and Welsh rugby fullback Jamie Roberts, World and Paralympic Champion swimmer Liz Johnson, Cardiff City and Welsh International midfielder Joe Ledley and World Champion triathlete Helen Jenkins on film with one of their most influential coaches to date.

Welsh and Cardiff Blues rugby star Jamie Roberts comments on the importance of the campaign and why he wanted to be involved:
“When you’re young and first getting into sport it’s all about learning the basics so it’s essential at that level to have a dedicated and passionate coach.

The impact that coaches and volunteers have in grassroots sport is often underestimated but the reality is without people like my first coach, Dai Williams, athletes like myself may not have made it to where we are today. I think it’s great that Sport Wales are highlighting the input that coaches and volunteers have into sport in Wales and hopefully their campaign will inspire people to get involved in their communities.”

Coach to eight of Wales’ medal-winning Paralympians, Billy Pye comments on the campaign;

“Sport Wales’ Behind Every Star campaign is a campaign to prove to people that we can all make a difference if we are prepared to give up a bit of our valuable time. I believe we have to all reach out and encourage as many volunteers as possible to provide all children with the opportunity to excel as much as they can, whether that just be participating in sport and getting fit and a healthy lifestyle, or making it to the top at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
Professor Laura McAllister, Chair of Sport Wales, said:

“Coaches and volunteers are the lifeblood of Welsh sport and we need to ensure that through our work with national governing bodies of sport and local authorities, we lead and support a coaching system whereby all participants in Wales, especially children and young people, have access to an appropriately qualified and quality coach.

“Behind Every Star will see those already doing it and doing it well swapping the sidelines for the spotlight, in the hope that people in Wales will feel inspired to play their part in a creating a prosperous sporting nation. The campaign will also help Sport Wales reach our goal of creating more and better coaches, in a Wales where we recognise and support our greatest assets – our people.”

Minister for Heritage, Alun Ffred Jones, said: “I am pleased to see this campaign recognise and celebrate the hard work of coaches and volunteers who are essential to the development of sport in Wales. I hope it will inspire more people to get involved in sport at the grassroots level and provide some small reward for those who give their time to help develop others.”

Behind Every Star has also received strong support from the UK’s leading coaching organisations, sports coach UK; Wales’s voice of the voluntary sector, the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) and youth charity, the Prince’s Trust Cymru. All local authorities in Wales and 23 governing bodies of sport have also signed up.

The Behind Every Star photo exhibition will be coming to a town near you in a whistle stop tour of Wales over the coming months. Between now and October you’ll get the chance to see the photos of our sporting stars and their coaches in Cardiff, Talbot Green in Rhondda Cynon Taff, Swansea, Newtown, Aberystwyth, Wrexham and Ebbw Vale.

You can register your interest in coaching or volunteering by visiting www.behindeverystar.org.uk or for more information on the Behind Every Star campaign and the dates and venues of the photo exhibition visit the website or www.sportwales.org.uk

For more information please contact Sarah Mogford on 029 2033 8273 / sarah.mogford@sportwales.org.uk

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