{"id":1383,"date":"2026-03-05T15:38:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T15:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/faw.cymru\/cff\/?p=1383"},"modified":"2026-03-19T11:44:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T11:44:57","slug":"serens-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/faw.cymru\/cff\/news\/serens-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Ystradgynlais 3G: Seren’s Story"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In September 2023, the Cymru Football Foundation opened a brand-new small-sided 3G at Ystradgynlais Community Centre through a \u00a3200,000 grant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The site in South Powys \u2013 a pair of concrete tennis courts \u2013 was crying out for some much-needed tender, love and care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through our Fit-for-Future Facilities programme, the development and upgrade of the tennis courts into a small-sided 3G pitch has given the local community a facility to be proud of. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What had once been tired, unused courts has become a state-of-the-art 3G facility and a pitch to withstand the Welsh weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Coalfields Regeneration Trust has been hosting weekly Game On<\/a><\/em> sessions at the facility since it re-opened. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seren – initially a participant at the sessions – has made huge strides and progressed into becoming one of the key figures that makes the programme what it is today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every Tuesday night, 25-30 local teenagers participate in the free sessions offering accessible, recreational football opportunities that promote physical activity and reduce anti-social behaviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coaching on a high-quality pitch has boosted her confidence, given her leadership skills, and helped her see a future in community sport. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I used to be the most unsociable person ever.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Then my confidence grew, my management skills have improved because I knew what I needed to do and when I needed to step in. It shows how far I’ve come.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Now I’m looking to have my own team – I want to be leading them and I want to be the one they look up to. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For the village, the impact runs even deeper. The 3G pitch has given young people a safe place to gather, stay active, and feel part of something positive. It\u2019s brought the community together and increased participation in both grassroots and recreational football. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Where we live, there’s a lot of people walking around and I can tell it impacts them because they’re not sat in the house and they’re not doing stuff they shouldn’t be on the streets.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The boys come every week – so I know where they are, their parents know where they are and everyone knows they’re safe.” <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What began as two disused tennis courts has grown into a story of opportunity, resilience, and the power of giving a community the facilities they deserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It feels like another part of my family – it’s like another home when I come up here.” <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Established in 1999, the Coalfields Regeneration Trust is a community wealth building charity operating in Britain’s coalfield areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using their profits to generate social value, the charity works with partners to enable communities across the U.K to reach their full potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find out more about the Coalfields Regeneration Trust here<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Initially a participant at the CRT’s Game On sessions, Seren has made huge strides to become one of the key figures in Ystradgynlais…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1384,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"ftr_img_focal":{"x":0.52,"y":0.55},"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,5],"class_list":["post-1383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-facilities-programme","category-success-stories"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nYstradgynlais 3G: Seren's Story - Cymru Football Foundation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/faw.cymru\/cff\/news\/serens-story\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ystradgynlais 3G: Seren's Story - 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