A passion for sport drives many people to coach but for 21 year-old Ieuan Coombes, it’s also about helping others gain what he did. “Sport has helped me challenge the physical limitations of my disability and helped me to develop confidence. I thought I could do more than just participate,” says Ieuan who lives in Caerleon, south Wales. The former Caerleon Comprehensive student began volunteering with Monmouthshire’s sports development team when he was 17, and focused on increasing young people’s participation in disability sports. Recognising that building youngsters’ confidence was key to getting them involved, Ieuan has used activities such as cooking and music as a pathway in to trying out sports such as archery, boccia and kurling.
“You have to develop a rapport with them from day one and have a real focus on enjoyment so they’ll want to do it again,” says Ieuan who has a form of cerebral palsy which affects his movement. “Developing basic skills such as throwing and catching is important so they can take it to other sports and develop the whole person. It’s not so much about being elite but having a positive experience and staying engaged, then they’ll be willing to try more complex skills.”
While volunteering, Ieuan helped entrench good inclusive practice in Monmouthshire’s leisure services, which is central to his future goal. “It’s trying to ensure that disability sport becomes mainstream, so kids feel motivated long term to become coaches and volunteers.”
Ieuan’s enthusiasm has led him to fit his volunteering around his sports development degree, and although he’s hard at work on his dissertation, he has no plans to stop. “It makes it worthwhile when the kids say, ‘thank you for coming today’. I don’t think there’s anything bigger statement than that, and that’s what makes it easy for me to say, ‘I do have lots of commitments but I need to fit this in’.”
What began as a hobby has given Ieuan ideas for his future career, and he’s giving a role in sports development or teaching serious consideration. “I’ve always said that if your work is enjoyable then it’s the right place to be, and I always come home happy.” At the moment he’s quite content to enjoy the glow from his nomination as Young Volunteer of the Year. “I was taken aback just to be nominated for such a prestigious award. It is a massive honour.”
