Young Ambassadors: the future of sport in Wales

Young Ambassadors are fast becoming the key movers and shakers of Welsh sport, reenergising the sporting landscape right across the nation – as Sport Wales PR Officer Claire Nicholson found out at 2013 Gold YA Conference…..

Four years on from the induction of the very first Young Ambassadors in Wales, the huge contribution that the now 2000-strong army are making to the vision for sport in Wales was something being referred to time and time again at the 2013 Conference.


Some familiar faces were present at the Conference

And rightly so, the role of our YA’s has now far outstretched from its original remit.  A sign of the massive success they have delivered in supporting post-Olympic Legacy - their endless generation of inspiration and opportunities for their peers to get involved in sport, seen as a key influence on participation figures.

Perhaps the increasing acknowledgement of just how much potential these young volunteers now have was signalled by the high calibre turn out at the event.  With the Welsh Government Minister for Sport, Olympic Athletes and Local Authority representatives from up and down the country in attendance, it was highly apparent that everyone is in agreement: YA’s are vital to future of Welsh sport.

Providing a Voice

A topic hot on the lips of Keynote speakers was the 2013 School Sport Survey.  Many keen to recognise that it was the energy and commitment shown by YAs across the country that ensured the voice of young people across Wales could now be heard.  



Minister for Sport John Griffiths AM thanked YAs



Their efforts helping to deliver the most important piece of insight into school sport ever produced; something which will now be used to shape future policy and expectantly improve the future health of the nation.

Minister for Sport John Griffiths AM, took the conference as an opportunity to thank the Young Ambassadors of Wales for their role both in the collection of responses and also for their undoubted contribution to the improvements in school sport since 2011 highlighted by the survey.

An Inspirational Force

The conference housed an energy and inspirational quality that oozed from the young role models.  These characteristics something that Sport Wales CEO Sarah Powell has urged as crucial to taking sport into the next generation. 

Words of confidence in the youngster’s ability to deliver just this came from Welsh Sprinter, Christian Malcolm.  His fellow Olympians, Alex Danson and Sophie Cox giving the new Gold recruits guidance on how best to perform in their Role Model position; it seeming only right that such inspirational youngsters should take personal tips from our Olympic elite.

Fit for the Challenge

Called to action on supporting the quest for physical literacy among Welsh children, for reaching those groups that the sector is currently not and for creating a nation a of supporters behind Team Wales, it is without  doubt that the YA movement is now an integral part of the sector.

The determination and passion shown by each and every Gold YA in delivering results, leaving many in awe and creating a further buzz at the 2013 conference.

Commonwealth Games Council for Wales CEO, Chris Jenkins pledged to inspire YAs across the country with a successful medal winning team.  Their response; to grab the invitation to become part of Team Wales, pledging themselves to unite their communities behind our Athletes, while building on the successful legacy that they have created from the 2012 Olympics: They will get even more youngsters hooked on sport!

YA Steering group promise 2014 legacy is in good hands

Perhaps the clearest message from the conference was that Young Ambassadors have and will need to continue playing a crucial role not only in delivery but also in shaping sporting opportunities across Wales.

And as Sport Wales looks to greater collaboration with other sectors to address national problems including poverty and obesity, the role of a YA looks set to continue growing:  A challenge I am now sure they will thrive in.