Could your Clwb Feature in S4C’s afternoon of Welsh Sport? Dylan Ebenezer, S4C Clwb

We caught up with S4C’s newest sports programme, ‘Clwb’ who have told us why they’re on the lookout for Welsh community clubs to feature as part of their hot new show….

It’s funny how a chance comment can lead to something rather wonderful. From small acorns and all that.

When the new S4C sport programme ‘Clwb’ was being planned over the summer we had the idea of featuring a different club every week.

We thought it would be a great chance to visit different parts of Wales and show what goes on in the smaller clubs around the country.

The variety has simply blown us away.

The films are called ‘Our Club’ and we’ve gone from Weighlifting in Holyhead to Fencing in Cardiff.

From the tranquility of the bowling green to the full on and frantic BMX racing track.

There’s been surfing and curling and the inspirational wheelchair rugby.

We’ve even ventured to the wonderful world of Dodgeball.

And we get the feeling that we’re only just scratching the surface.

The ‘traditional sports’ always tend to dominate.

And ‘Clwb’ is packed with live sport – from Pro 12 rugby to Welsh Premier football.

There’s also highlights of the Welsh superstars in exile.

From the rugby boys in France playing in the Top 14 to La Liga in Spain – where Gareth Bale is having a blast with The Galacticos.

Wales is also the perfect stage for many sporting events.

The landscape has been just as dramatic as some of the triathlon races that we’ve been following.

Add rallying, cycling and mountain biking to the mix and it’s been a great start to the series.

But there’s so much more out there.

The number of clubs that we are coming across is staggering. Each one hugely important in their community.

And we’re always looking for more.

If you’d like us to feature your club then please get in touch.

Don’t be shy – you can follow us on Twitter @Clwbs4c – we’re also ‘Clwb’ on Facebook.

Or email Clwb@rondomedia.co.uk

Healthy Recipe – Brazilian-style BBQ Beef Skewers with Tomato Salad

Our latest recipe brought to you by Welsh Rugby Union National Academy Nutritionist Chris Edwards. A meal packed with nutrients and Protein as well as Iron.

7 ways to get more women and girls playing sport

Most of us are looking for new ways to get more women and girls involved in sport. So you might be interested in those in Wales that are out there doing a great job!

1. Do it the Diva way and keep it fun!

The ladies at Diva Sport suggest a focus on fun and keeping things fresh by introducing hoopblast or burlesque. That way, sport in't just about keeping fit - it's part of your social life..." Co-founder Mel Gill says, "I suppose one of the key factors in Diva Sport is that everything that we do and offer is always done for fun. Just as important as having the classes and equipment that women want to use, is the person who is delivering the class. Our team are brilliant and ensure that every woman who comes here has a good time.

Read the Diva story here

2. Make it your mission

Newport Cricket Club made a pledge to create real opportunities for women at their club. "We felt really guilty; there was nowhere for our girls to go as they got older," said Head Coach Mike Knight. But they have turned that all around - they key, they say, is to make it a priority with a long-term development plan.

Read the Newport Cricket Story here

3. Dispel the myths

The Holyhead and Anglesey Weightlifting and Fitness Centre's female membership is booming - a considerable achievement when you're faced with the stereotype of muscle men pumping iron! Ray Williams, who heads up the centre, says:"We dispel the myth that lots of women have about resistance training building big muscles, and educate them that it assists in body sculpture and weight loss."

Read their story here

4. Create links with local schools

Vale Ladies and Girls Football Club could run masterclasses in how to create school links. Launching a Girls Football Primary School League, they bring together 16 teams from 14 on a fortnightly basis to play regular friendly matches.

Read the Vale Ladies and Girls story here
5. Work together
If clubs work together, share data and best practice - you are better equipped to fulfil demand locally. The South East Regional Netball Forum is a great example of how things work better, when you work together. Local netball hubs have been set up as well as Netball Tots for the little ones!

Read their story here

6. Listen to your customers



This has been the secret of success for Golf Development Wales. Hannah Fitzpatrick says

"Clubs need to provide a really, warm welcome - they need to listen to participants, understand their needs and wants so that they can provide the best possible customer service and package to encourage them to become a member to the club. We need to be able to respond to feedback and adapt offers.

Find out what they did here
7. Be social
This is Sarah Draper's number one tip. She set up Merthyr Running Club from scratch. She says that you have to be friendly and welcoming and that a Facebook page helps: "lots of our members just follow the group and read the posts before they join. Then when they start, they already feel like they know lots of the members and coaches already." They also organise social events.

Read all about it here.

Do you have a tip to share with others? If so, please comment here or get in touch with us on twitter or facebook. If you found these case studies useful, check out our website for more.

Physical Literacy: The best prescription for a healthier nation, Baroness Tanni-Grey Thompson DBE

Baroness Tanni-Grey Thompson DBE, celebrated as one of our nation’s greatest ever sportswomen,  heralded for lobbying against the inequalities surrounding disability, gender and sport and recently the leader of a radical proposal which propelled Physical Education into the spotlight as an antidote to the future health of Wales.

Following a centre-stage question and answer session at the 2014 Sport Wales Conference, Baroness Grey -Thompson gave us an insight into why she is so passionate about our children gaining the opportunities to be physically active throughout life….

I would count myself as a lucky one.  I was given the opportunity to try lots of sports and practice basic physical skills from a very young age.  I loved sport, it had always been a positive and fun experience for me and I wanted to do more and more of it.  I was not always the best at first, but I was keen and had the confidence to understand that it was ok not be good overnight.   I was physically literate.

This obviously went on to play a significant role in my future, but it’s something that would still be making a hugely positive contribution to my life now, had I of followed any other career route.  That’s because regardless of my day job I’d still be physically active, enjoying the many benefits, health included, that this brings.

I know this because the fact that I was given the opportunity to develop and practice skills such as throwing and catching a ball when I was a child, means that I have the confidence to go and try new things and not only that, I really want to, it’s part of my DNA.

And this is what we want for all of our children.  In basic terms we want them to have the skills, confidence and motivation to be taking part in sport and physical activity now and then for the rest of their lives.  We want them all to be physically literate. 

I could go on about the many social benefits that sport and being physically active can bring but perhaps most simply; because we are facing a ticking obesity time-bomb, due in part to inactive lifestyles.

Many children in Wales are saying that they dislike sport because they do not feel they are good enough to participate, if this is not dealt with these children will struggle to regularly take part in sport for the rest of their lives.

It’s a bit like basic maths, if children don’t think they can make simple additions and subtractions, they will shy away from using these skills throughout life.  We’d all agree that this would be detrimental to their futures – yet we still cannot all see that, not having the right skills and confidence to be active will be detrimental to their future health.

This is why we are recommending that Physical Education (PE) is made a core subject within Wales.  PE plays such a significant role in shaping our children’s views and attitudes towards sport.  And although some are getting great experiences and we are seeing improvements, it is still hit and miss - and that’s not good enough.

Giving the subject core status will mean that teachers get the strong training required to be delivering lessons that are fun and enjoyable for all children, not just those who are excelling in the area, but also that provide our youngsters with the fundamental skills to take part in all kinds of sports, now and in their futures.

We are very much hoping that Professor Donaldson, who is leading the review of our groups proposal, will see the vast potential impact to our nation’s future and make a positive recommendation.  It’s time that we started to take bold actions in these areas, the consequences of not doing so are devastating.  It’s time we stood together, sport, education and health to tackle a problem that simply will not just fade away.

Gathering evidence and writing strategies is no longer enough.  In fact, if writing strategies and consultations was an Olympic sport we’d be Gold medallists.  But in this circumstance we are not after Gold medals, we are trying to make a tremendous step change in the habits and lifestyles of our nation, for the future health of our children, and that takes brave and radical actions.

Sport is Wales’ Success Story: There’s never been a better time to be involved

After an unprecedented level of success and on the day that marks the start of an historical agreement between sport and health, Sport Wales, Chair Laura McAllister calls for a commitment from sport to be working with other sectors in achieving an improved future for Wales…

We’re extremely proud to say that sport is Wales’ success story.  You’ve only got to look at the recent headlines for proof.  Be it, Jamie Donaldson winning the Ryder Cup for Europe, Gareth Bales’ delight at wining the Champions League with Real Madrid or one of the many tales of victory from the Team Wales camp at Glasgow 2014. 

And from this success story we have in our midst a whole new breed of role models, right from the very hearts of our communities in Wales.  Forget your celebrities and X-factor contestants; how many children were inspired to take up gymnastics by Frankie Jones and Laura Halford?  How many kids jumped on their bikes and dreamt of being the next Elinor Barker?

2014 has very much marked the start of a journey for Wales, a journey where we must all be looking to build on success and make improvements.

And when we talk about success, we don’t just mean medals and personal bests.  Our efforts must also concentrate on every person in Wales and their own personal journeys within sport.  It’s about personal podiums, be it a social kick about, signing up for a charity 5k, or plucking up the courage to go to that first Zumba class. 

In Wales we are leading the UK, in seeing more and more people reap the benefits of regular physical activity.  But that does not mean that we can be complacent; more than ever we need to be making every effort to get those who aren’t started and those who are, doing more.  Sport has the potential to make a life changing difference to everybody and we will not be satisfied until the entire nation is hooked on sport.

Sport is in our DNA and has a unique hold over us in Wales.  Win or lose we kick every ball, make every try saving tackle and run every race.  As a nation we embrace the values that underpin sport: Pride and passion, belief and togetherness.  And we must use this; the power of sport, to inspire us all to be better and make our vision of a nation hooked, a reality.

We are a long way from our full potential.  We still have too many adults who are inactive, too many school children not enjoying PE and too many participation gaps between communities, particularly those living in poverty.  In simple terms we cannot accept that people in Wales have limited access to the benefits of sport.

But we will not achieve this on our own. It’s time that we move sport from the side-lines, to play its vital part in delivering a stronger, smarter, more sustainable and successful Wales.  And do to this we need Leaders who are going to take the front seat in driving forward change.

Today marks the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Welsh NHS Confederation.  This demonstrates our ambition for doing things together and differently, but it is the actions that flow from the agreement that will make the real difference.

Our focus is to put the health back into the NHS.  The World Health Organisation has identified lack of physical activity as one of the leading risk factors for global health.  We obviously have a vital role to play here and we should be energised by the opportunity Wales has to be at the forefront of tackling inactivity through revolutionising our relationship with the health service.

And this is not just ours or the NHS’s responsibility; it has to start at the earliest ages.  Through our schools we have a real opportunity to equip young people with the skills and motivation to become the healthiest nation the world.

By placing physical literacy at the heart of the school experience for every child, we could be making the single most important step change in improving the health of the nation.  Through the review of the curriculum being undertaken by Professor Donaldson, we have in our hands the opportunity to make the Welsh education system the envy of the world, one which is proud not only of academic success but an improved resilience towards everything that adult life can throw at us.

The challenge to our sector is therefore to make sport more accessible to all.  It is our duty to offer sport in an engaging, exciting and enjoyable way.  We must be planning with the mind-set of ‘how do we engage everyone in what we love?’

I’m not prepared to look back and say that 2014 was the high water mark for Welsh sport and neither should you.  Sport has the ability to change lives and revitalise communities and we all have the responsibility for making sure this happens.