Micky's Pembrokeshire
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| London sporting start John, who originally hails from London, began his career in providing sporting activities after the riots at Brixton and Toxteth caused the government of the time decided to take the advice of a specially-prepared report and engage young Londoners in ‘Action Sport’ as a means of keeping them off the streets. He was appointed as a Sports Development Officer in Tower Hamlets, which was regarded as a tough area, and he was soon busily involved on the local estates in all sorts of sporting activities from basketball to boxing, canoeing to cycling, and tennis to football.  Warm welcome at South Pembs Sport Development was in its infancy in Wales after the Sports Council for Wales was formed and established 18 Sport Development Officers across Wales - and John was delighted when he was given the job with the old South Pembrokeshire District Council. There was no officer in Preseli District Council so John travelled daily to South Pembs from his new home above Goodwick, and quickly formed a sporting allegiance with the late TV Hay, who was a councillor and did so much to promote sport in the area when they formed the Sport Development Council. John also praises South Pembs because they were very supportive, even to the point of funding him to take his MA in the Sociology of Sport. He was also quickly accepted by clubs and sports players. “I knew that I had been welcomed when they started teasing me about being English and talking about the Welsh Rugby team,” says John with a chuckle! Pembrokeshire links He had already forged close links with Pembrokeshire because his wife Ceri is Welsh and the family had a caravan at Cwm-yr-Eglwys so he knew the area well – and there was a footballing connection because in London he played for a team called Saturday Wanderers which had several Welsh players, including current Goodwick United team manager Brian Morris. In the early 80s they used to come on a Summer Tour and play Goodwick on August bank holiday Saturday and Merlins Bridge on the Monday. He got to know real characters like Stuart Wilson (Goodwick) and Derek Roberts (Merlins Bridge) and when he was offered the job jumped at the chance! Pembrokeshire manager and change of fortune He became manager of Pembrokeshire County Council’s sporting services when South Pembs and Preseli merged back into the old county status and has been delighted with the progress made. An early report listed Pembrokeshire as having the lowest indoor sporting facilities but now we are at the top of that table – with every secondary school having access to leisure centre facilities and Astroturf as well. John and Co certainly learned early the art of accessing sporting grants for clubs and for leisure centres and is rightly proud of what Pembrokeshire has achieved. “We now have 50% of young people actively involved in a sporting activity,” says John, “but we can’t be complacent because the other half also needs encouragement to find something suitable for them. Heavy school involvement “We are also heavily involved in schools, with assistance for providing PE in primary schools and the 5x60 scheme encouraging participation at comprehensives so that activities like street dance, rock climbing, surfing and a host of others take part alongside traditional sports like rugby, football, cricket, hockey and netball. “When I started out there was just Alan Jones, Lois Hilling, Robbie Tweed and Mike Bull as Sport Development Officers but we now have 18 full-time staff and a large number of part-timers, all totally committed to making sport more inclusive to all. There is a great team spirit and I just hope that the current government can be persuaded that the work should be carried on for the foreseeable future!” Thought needed for ‘Olympic Legacy’ John is equally as forthright about the Olympic Games when he says, “Like everyone else I was thrilled when we were granted the 2012 Games and much was made of the ‘Sporting Legacy’ where youngsters would be inspired by great athletic deeds and be inspired to take up sports. But since then most of the National Lottery cash has gone to funding facilities and top sportsmen so if there is an explosion of people wanting to participate at local levels it will be interesting to see if clubs have the infrastructure to cope since they have received very little, if any, funding to aid their development.” And finally . . . But ask him about the local sporting community and he is full of praise for their efforts. “We have an amazing network of clubs and organisations in Pembrokeshire, with superb administrators and unsung heroes who make them tick. I count myself privileged to have been involved with them and I wish them every success for the future, as I do Ben Field and the rest of the staff at Sport Pembrokeshire – I know they will keep up the great work they have already done, in the future!” We at PembrokeshireSport.co.uk recognise the immense amount of work done by John Deason – and we wish him a long and happy retirement! |
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