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 Nik Mesney, who got involved with volunteering at Connah’s Quay Nomads over a decade ago and is now the Communications Director at the JD Cymru Premier club.
How did you first get involved with volunteering at your club?
I first got involved with Connah’s Quay Nomads when Gary Dewhurst purchased the club back in 2007 – I hadn’t long started working for Gary at his previous company Gap Personnel and he knew that I had a passion for football and asked me if I wanted to help out with the website and photography side of the club and I jumped at the opportunity.
What roles/responsibilities have you had while volunteering at your club?
I originally started out with looking after the website and social media channels and then when the existing photographer retired from his role I stepped into the photography role as well.
Due to the size of the club though, everyone chips in all over the place in roles, so I have then assisted in designing and choosing kits, designing branding for sponsor banners, attending UEFA competition draws in Geneva and also being a part of the off-field staff on UEFA matchdays who are required to attend the pre-match meeting alongside delegates from the opposition.
What are the best experiences you have had while volunteering at your club?
Being able to photograph The Nomads lifting silverware has been a huge highlight for me – I did a similar interview like this about 10 years ago and was asked what was the one thing I wanted to photograph and I answered with “George Horan lifting the Cymru Premier title” and a few years later he had done it twice in succession!
Other key memories have got to be the European adventures – going to UEFA Headquarters in Geneva never gets old, and beating Stabaek and Kilmarnock across two legs in Europe are memories that will live with me forever.
What is the most rewarding thing about volunteering for your club?
I think just being involved in the project for so long to be honest – I’ve been at the club for over 15 years now in some capacity and seeing players progress through their careers, win medals, sometimes go on to play in the English system or even European football in some cases is very rewarding, but also building friendships and memories that will last a lifetime.
What would your message be to anyone considering volunteering at a Cymru Leagues club?
I would 100% say to do it – for me personally it has led to spending a great amount of time watching the evolution of the Cymru Leagues in general but has also led me to a number of amazing experiences that I would never have thought possible.
I’ve attended UEFA competition draws at the UEFA Headquarters in Geneva, photographed in front of a raucous 10,000+ Serbian crowd at Partizan Belgrade and also been involved with the national teams as over the last eight years I have photographed a number of Wales men’s, women’s and age group matches. This all came about from my efforts at Connah’s Quay Nomads being recognised by the FAW.
