Alan Jones is a talented golfer who putts in the effort to support Pembrokeshire sports clubs and he is the latest to feature in our regular articles on the people from Sport Pembrokeshire, which is part of Pembrokeshire County Council and does a great job under Ben Field in promoting a whole range of sports across our county.
 

Strong support provided for local clubs

 
Alan is Sports Development Link Officer with Sport Pembrokeshire so he acts as the main point of contact for community clubs.
 
He supports the clubs to access funding to develop grass roots opportunities and ensure young people have the chance to enjoy and benefit from a range of sports.
 

Totally involved in the Sports Awards

 
Alan has been involved in the Sport Pembrokeshire Awards since their inception, working closely alongside Ben Field and Bill Carne as announcer and nominations editor – and since taking over from Ben two years ago he has battled on, even when the coronavirus prevented the celebration evening being held at Folly Farm.
 
This year saw him still accepting the nominations, organising judging panels, obtaining the splendid engraved glass trophies and making sure that ever winner and two finalists received their awards.
 
It was a difficult undertaking but with support from his team mates everything went as well as could be expected in such trying circumstances.
 

Excellent all-round sportsman and superb golfer

 
A keen sportsman, Alan played football, rugby, cricket and badminton as a teenager before getting hooked on golf, finding a set of clubs and hitting a few balls on a local cricket pitch has led to a life-long love of golf.
 
Alan has an enviable list of silverware and titles, which includes being three-time Dyfed golf champion; the third as the oldest ever winner. Alan has been club Champion at South Pembs Golf Club an astonishing 27 times and represented Dyfed for 33 years.
 

24 years in the role with good advice now for youngsters

 
And like a good golf swing, it was all about timing as Alan took up the Sport Pembrokeshire role because after university in 1996 the sports development arm of the Council was expanding and Alan joined the team the following year.
 
Now he is passionate about ensuring young people get to experience everything that sport has to offer.
Alan said: “For me, it’s not about winning it’s about developing good routines, getting ready, being prepared, being on time, and creating good habits.

“It’s also about perseverance and getting better at something, dealing with nerves, having composure, being resilient.”



 

Sport provides great experiences

 
Alan emphasises that sport is about the experiences off the pitch as well as on it.
“Travelling to new places and meeting new people – building confidence – there is so much to gain from being involved in sport.

“For children to take all these skills into the classroom and then into adult life is what it’s all about for me.
“At a sports club, children will meet people of all ages, from all walks of life – who knows, one day someone they know from their club might be interviewing them for a job.”
 

And finally . . .

 
After a year of disruption to sport and plenty of working from home, Alan says his hopes for the future are simple:

“To establish better links between schools and their local sports clubs.”

He added: “That is a great opportunity for schools to show children what is on offer in their community and for clubs to get more people involved.”
 
For more information see: https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/sport-pembrokeshire
You can also search for and follow Sport Pembrokeshire on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram for regular updates on the team’s work.