When Wales’ Olympians step out onto the world stage this summer, an entire army of volunteers, community coaches and sports clubs will be right behind them.
While Micky Beckett, Anna Hursey and Dan Jervis are gearing up to push themselves to the limits on the water, the court and in the pool, there are three community clubs who will be cheering them all the way.
We caught up with the clubs who, with the support of National Lottery funding, set them off on their journey to Paris 2024.
Dan Jervis will be making his second appearance at an Olympic Games when he dives into the pool at Paris’ Centre Aquatique this summer. The 1500m freestyler thanks his coaches for supporting him on his journey – and one of those coaches is Neill Golding.
Having volunteered as Head Coach of Neath Swimming Club for the past 23 years, Neill started coaching Dan when he was just 12 years old.
“Dan always had a lot of drive, passion and self-determination. He wanted to succeed but, back then, his technique wasn’t the best. I put a programme in place to work on that across all strokes. Sometimes it can be difficult to spot which swimmer is which when they’re in the water when you’re watching on TV but I always know Dan instantly from the stroke – because I gave him that stroke. It does make me feel proud that the club’s been part of his journey.”
And today, the club’s still thriving. Neill is one of 17 coaches at the club, that also includes his daughter Francesca. He reels off a big list of promising talents.
Making sure the club can continue to teach an important life skill to the children in the local community for generations to come, Sport Wales has invested National Lottery funding into training the coaches of the future.
Since 2013, almost £13,000 has been awarded to Neath Swimming Club; with the lion’s share paying for coaching courses:
“As a club, we need to upskill the coaches of the future. We want the club to continue for generations to come. We have four young people currently taking coaching courses, which is thanks to the National Lottery. They’re our future coaches and, as we retire, we need skilled individuals to come through and take over. Sport Wales and the National Lottery is enabling us to do that.”
Visit the pretty village of Solva this summer and, as the waves lap the harbour, you’ll probably hear the TV commentary of a particular sport drifting through the open windows. That sport? Sailing.
Because Solva-born Micky Beckett is set to make his Olympic debut. And he admits, he has spent his whole life trying to get to the Games.
The dream began at the age of five in the small village in Pembrokeshire. Bella Prickett, Solva Sailing Club’s membership secretary, can remember him out on the waves, practising:
“He’s a hero for the next generation. We’ve seen him grow up – I remember when he was born – and to see him doing amazing things is so exciting for all of us. There’s a huge sense of pride – not just from the club but the whole village. Every TV in Solva will have the sailing on,” laughs Bella.
And he hasn’t forgotten his roots. He still lists Solva on his racing card, he attends fundraisers, visits the school to do talks and recently he was the first to try out the club’s new boats bought with National Lottery funding from Sport Wales’ Be Active Wales Fund:
“We received more than £19,000 for five new boats last year. To get them all rigged up takes a full day and Micky came back to sort that out for us. He’s still very much involved.”
Since 2014, Sport Wales has helped the club to make sailing more affordable thanks to £23,401 in grants from the National Lottery.
“We had the big grant last year for the boats, but we have also received smaller grants for equipment, coaching courses and first aid training - we absolutely couldn’t run the club without the funding from Sport Wales.
“As a club, we want to help children give sailing a go and we offer school taster sessions. The grants are invaluable and have also helped Micky in his Olympic journey.”
When Anna Hursey first turned up at Swansea’s Penlan Tennis Club at a very young age, her potential was clear for all to see.
“You could barely see her head over the table; she was so small,” says volunteer Keith Baker. “But her talent was obvious.”
And he says that she was always destined to excel. This summer, the 18-year-old writes herself into the history books as Wales’ first ever table tennis player to compete at an Olympic Games.
But it doesn’t come as too much of a surprise to those at Penlan who recognised her talent and steely determination from the start:
“Even then, she was giving people a good game. She would play grown-ups at the club, including myself, so I like to think I helped her just a little bit,” chuckles Keith.
Anna’s not the only player to come through the club and go on to shine at major events. Paralympian Paul Karabardak – who won silver and bronze in Tokyo three years ago – also spent his younger years at Penlan.
Since 2011, the club has received almost £8000 in National Lottery funding from Sport Wales which has helped the club pay for venue hire after the pandemic, purchase equipment, and propel young players through coaching courses:
“There’s always more we can do in the community, but we have all nationalities and ethnicities coming to the club. We love the coaching and volunteering. I’ve been here 25 years now and I still like to make a difference.”
While funding has helped the coaches at the club to make a difference, removing the need to pay for kit and equipment goes a long way, too.
“We don’t have any dress code. If you want to wear jeans and a hoodie, that’s fine. Just come and play. We try to keep it affordable for families as we don’t want people to turn away because of cost.”
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