To mark Volunteers’ Week 2026, we are celebrating some of the volunteers that make clubs across the JD Cymru Leagues tick on a daily basis.
Volunteers are the unsung heroes of Welsh football – clubs and leagues would not run without them. Getting involved with your local club is also hugely rewarding for individuals and can lead to plenty of memorable experiences.
Today, we find out more about Ethan Pollitt, who volunteers as a Supporter Liaison Officer at JD Cymru South club Aberystwyth Town, a role formally introduced by the FAW in conjunction with the UEFA Academy.
How did you first get involved with volunteering at your club?
I’ve followed and supported Aberystwyth Town ever since arriving as a student at Aberystwyth University. During that time, I always enjoyed chatting with people in and around the club, particularly while carrying out radio work with Cymru Sport for a couple of years.
I was approached about the Supporter Liaison Officer role towards the end of our final season in the Cymru Premier, largely due to my continued positive support and regular presence at matches. It sounded like the perfect opportunity to contribute further to the club. The role particularly appealed to me because it allows me to act as a link between the club and its supporters and help improve the overall fan experience.
What roles/responsibilities have you had while volunteering at your club?
As Supporter Liaison Officer, my main responsibility is to act as a conduit between the club and its supporters, helping to ensure that fans’ views, concerns and suggestions are communicated effectively.
This includes engaging with supporters on matchdays and working with the club to improve the overall supporter experience. Alongside this, I’ve thrown myself into anything extra that I can help with. I have also assisted our excellent media department, helped organize a few events within the club, and have attended plenty of other matches within our division and beyond to gain further ideas on how other clubs deliver their matchday experience.
I have also assisted the management team with opposition scouting through some of the matches I’ve attended, although I haven’t gone as far as filming training sessions behind a tree just yet.
What are the best experiences you have had while volunteering at your club?
Some of my best experiences have come from simply meeting and speaking with as many people as possible, both home and away, and hearing their experiences and enjoyment of being involved with the club. It’s been really rewarding to see and hear firsthand how much the club means to supporters, and to share those moments on matchdays.
One particular highlight was the players’ end-of-season awards evening, which I’d help organize and coincided with an ex-players event, the first we’d had in around seven years. Seeing the turnout on the night and watching supporters, current players and former players come together to celebrate the season was a fantastic experience. Many of the ex-players in attendance were people I had enjoyed watching from the stands, so being part of an event that brought everyone together in that way was something really special.
On a personal level, it’s also been great to share the experience with my best friend, James, who now volunteers for the club as well. We’ve supported Aberystwyth Town together since we first met, so seeing him become part of the volunteer team and helping out on matchdays as “the man on the gate” has been another real highlight. Apart from when people get us confused and call me James, that’s slightly less fun.
What is the most rewarding thing about volunteering for your club?
The most rewarding thing about volunteering has been seeing the positive impact that even small ideas can have. At the start of the season, I helped establish the Southsiders supporters group to bring together our fantastic South Wales-based support and encourage more fans to travel to away matches.
Seeing the group grow throughout the season, with supporters making new friendships and creating a brilliant atmosphere at games, has been incredibly satisfying. It’s not just away games though, I’ve loved being a part of our fantastic home support and watching the football club continue to be the heart of the community I know it can be.
Knowing that I’ve played a small role in strengthening the connection between the club and its supporters is what makes volunteering so worthwhile, and I’m massively looking forward to continuing to help that grow with new ideas to come.
What would your message be to anyone considering volunteering at a Cymru Leagues club?
Do it. You’ll get far more out of it than you expect!
