Children enjoyed trying out a range of sports at the official opening of Glamorgan Sport Park, thanks to final year BA (Hons) Sports Development students.
The students joined Rhondda Cynon Taf’s Dragon Sport team to organise a Dragon Sport festival and a hockey tournament at the opening of the facility.
Glamorgan Sport Park is a £3.7 million purpose-built development to enhance the provision of the University’s academic sport courses and provide excellent facilities for community use.
Pupils from Maes-y-Bryn Primary, Llantwit Fardre, and Maesycoed Primary, Maesycoed, enjoyed a morning of golf, athletics and netball activities which culminated in the children and staff meeting Dragon Sport ambassador, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson.
Emma Jervis, a teacher at Maes-y-Bryn Primary, said:“This is was an excellent opportunity for our pupils to come to such a fantastic facility and meet a sporting legend. It has been a great experience for our pupils.”
The ongoing partnership with RCT Sports Development Team has been an integral part of the success of the degree programme. Students are trained and mentored by Dragon Sport officers before applying the skills that they have learnt through undertaking a 20-week community placement.
The partnership has been existence for more than five years and this year involves students delivering 23 weekly after-school clubs and 10 community festivals.
Two students, Emma Massingham and Danielle Stokes, are also completing an employability placement with RCT which has involved them establishing and delivering a Streets Game initiative.
Award Leader, Rob Griffiths, said: “The partnership is mutually beneficial, with students gaining vital practical experience and RCT Sports Development Team being able to recruit high quality volunteers to deliver their Dragon Sport programme.
“We are hopefully making some significant inroads into getting the children of Rhondda Cynon Taf more active, more often.”
Dragon Sport co-ordinator, Gavin Bennett said: “An event like this reinforces the success of the partnership between the university and ourselves. The students are a credit to themselves, their university and the local authority.”
Dragon Sport is a Sports Council for Wales initiative which aims to increase the number of seven-11 year olds participating in sporting activities.
