Part of 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport – in the Senedd at 2:07 pm on 26 September 2018.
Thank you, Minister, and I'm sure you'll agree with me that grassroots sports clubs have a crucial role to play in enhancing the physical and mental well-being of people of all ages across the length and breadth of Wales. In order to continue to provide these benefits, local clubs rely on publicity, and local newspapers have an important role to play in this, helping clubs to build strong community links, attract new support, highlight success and recruit the new players who are their lifeblood. I recently spoke with a club secretary of one football club in my constituency, AFC Llwydcoed, who echoed the concerns shared with me by other clubs regarding the problems they have in getting content into the local newspaper, the Cynon Valley Leader. To be blunt, the newspaper is simply not publishing anything that they send in. With the slow and painful death of true local journalism, I'd welcome your comments on this and any suggestions as to how the Welsh Government could enable such clubs to survive and thrive.