10 Years of the Trust: Gethyn Inspired by Primary Stars

​​​​​​​As part of our ‘Ten Years of the Community Trust’ campaign, which aims to celebrate the successes our official charity has achieved over the years, we are sharing stories from the heart of our local communities to show the positive impacts made on people’s lives.

Next to go under the spotlight is young Swans fan Gethyn Williams, who has flourished in the classroom with the help of our Premier League Primary Stars project.

Gethyn was previously disengaged when it came to literacy but has thrived since getting involved with the project.

“I love playing football, I’m mad for it,” said Gethyn during one of his Primary Stars sessions.

But it’s not just sport and physical activity we help youngsters with.

Working in the classroom as well as on the playground, our Premier League Primary Stars coaches help participants with a range of skills, including their literacy and numeracy.

Using the appeal of the Swans, the Community Trust is able to engage with these children on a much deeper level and it is something that has certainly appealed to Gethyn.

With football as the focus, Primary Stars aims to develop skills and ambitions of boys and girls aged between five and 11, and Gethyn’s story is far from unique.

Last season, the project interacted and engaged with more than 1,000 pupils in 30 primary schools across South West Wales, with the vast majority noticing an improvement in a range of skills from teamwork and resilience to physical literacy.

“Gethyn really thrives being outside, but he wasn’t so enthusiastic to come into the classroom and he was struggling with his writing. To get Gethyn and the other pupils in the class slightly more engaged, we put a football spin on it,” said Primary Stars coach Curtis Grant.

“It’s fair to say that occasionally Gethyn needs some assistance and support in his learning, specifically in the area of literacy,” added his teacher, Mr Morgan.

“He struggles writing at length and sometimes lacks motivation and confidence in his abilities.”

However, the presence of the Community Trust at Gethyn’s school – Central Primary in Port Talbot – has made the world of difference.

“Having somebody from Swansea City come into our school is really cool. It’s really helped me with my writing and my confidence,” Gethyn said.

“Curtis asked us to write a Swansea City news report and I chose Swansea versus Arsenal. I really liked writing it and by the end of the day, I had finished a whole page and I then wrote another three.

“My mum and dad are proud. It made me feel so happy and I feel like writing more so hopefully I can become a football reporter when I grow up.

“Every time I write I smile, and even my teacher said ‘I haven’t seen you smile in a long time’.”

Stay tuned for more success stories throughout the year as we shine a light on the amazing things our Community Trust has done over the last decade.

To find out more about the Premier League Primary Stars project, or to sign your school up, email curtisgrant@scfccommunitytrust.co.uk.