10. Short Debate: The more I practice, the luckier I am: Sports facilities in our rural communities

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:43 pm on 9 February 2022.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Samuel Kurtz Samuel Kurtz Conservative 5:43, 9 February 2022

As someone who's played a whole host of sports throughout their life, from football, golf, tennis, rugby, cricket and everything else in between, this debate got me thinking back to what it was like growing up in rural west Wales. And it was often more jumpers for goalposts than Millennium Stadium—Principality Stadium, forgive me—or Celtic Manor or Lord's cricket ground. And one thing that really struck me is that what facilities clubs do have they take great pride in, and I think that that is something that is really a testament to the volunteers, without whom many of these community clubs wouldn't exist. Volunteers who give up their time for free, mowing pitches, sweeping changing rooms, washing playing kit or even ferrying kids around the area so that they can go and play sport and keep fit. Without these volunteers, we wouldn't have grass-roots sports here in Wales, so I'd just like to take the opportunity to thank every volunteer from every corner of Wales for everything that they do in ensuring that grass-roots sport in Wales is as strong as it can be. Diolch.