Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:42 pm on 9 February 2022.
I'll try. I thank Mabon ap Gwynfor for bringing this debate forward. The more I practice, the luckier I am, but as somebody who practices darts a lot, I'm not sure that's quite true on a Friday night. [Laughter.] But in our community, our sports facilities are the heart of the community, whether that be rugby clubs, football clubs, netball clubs, cricket, bowls—you name it, they are the heart. I was very fortunate to be a part of Gwernyfed RFC in Talgarth, the great community sports club that has a women's side and all the junior sides and does fantastically well. That club taught me a number of things: it taught me respect, it taught me team work, it taught me to appreciate other people and also how to have a very good time.
Our clubs provide the opportunities for young people to come together. They build community cohesion and help the well-being agenda and help improve the health and well-being of the nation. And I agree with you, Mabon, that more resources should be put into rural communities, because we've all seen how our young sports stars have to go to the towns and the cities to actually access the sports facilities they need to reach their potential. And I do urge the Minister, as you have done, to make sure that those resources make their way to rural communities so that those young people there can reach their potential. Diolch, Llywydd.