Ceri Phillips can currently be seen at football pitches across the county in his exciting role as the Football Development Coach for Pembrokeshire with Swansea City, charged with the responsibility of helping talented young footballers achieve success with the Swans.

At 23 years of age, Ceri is one of the coaches spread out in each county of West Wales, a project funded by the Community Trust as part of the Premier League's involvement in the area, organising visits to school for six week periods to help teachers promote the game, and setting up training camps in school holidays.

Weekly developmental training sessions

Ceri holds regular Development Training sessions every Wednesday evening for talented young players from 8 to 12 years of age in six-week blocks, ably assisted by excellent coaches in Lukas Gamble (Kilgetty) and Dewi Davies (Tenby).

They aim to get youngsters to adopt the academy aims of good skills and the right attitude to development, with specific coaching to help individual players and it seems that the project is working well because the latest youngster to be given a year's contract at under 12s level is Charlie Davies, from Narberth, who is the son of former Narberth RFC full back and top points gatherer Andrew 'Mounton' Phillips. Charlie started out as a useful midfield play-maker but is currently working at being a strong central defender.

"As well as training on a regular basis, the youngsters also play matches as they take on other centres from Cardigan, Carmarthen and even Swansea itself," Ceri told us. "and we recently travelled up to Hereford for a successful series of games against the West Bromwich Albion academy in the area."

Started football with St Clears

Ceri started his involvement in football as a young player alongside the likes of Danny Peters, Nathan Evans, Scott Newton and Sean Seymour-Davies coached by Dai Phillips, Lee Lewis and Rhydian Phillips at St Clears, playing well and losing out in their age-group cup finals to a Tenby team coached by Charles Davies and then a Herbrandston team looked after by Steve Batty.

"Then I had a season in senior football with Whitland AFC, coached by Paul 'Sponge' Morgan in the Carmarthenshire League, playing at right back in the main but anywhere I could to get a game - and then played for Carmarthen Town for a while, mainly in the seconds coached by Steve 'Gas' Jones,  but enjoying being called into Richmond Park to help train with the first team squad when they needed a full-scale practice."

More experience gained in university

From there it was on to the  University of Glamorgan to study for a degree Sports' Coaching and Performance and whilst there he came under the influence of Dave Adams, a lecturer who has given him so much practical support then and ever since.
"I coached a lot of the time as part of my course and in my final year Dave Adams organised work experience with Cardiff City and I spent a fair bit of time at the Cardiff City Stadium, just opposite the Leckwith Athletics Stadium.

Swans’ start sends him back to Pembrokeshire

"I was allowed to shadow the academy coaches and learned a great deal from their working with some very talented young players who were eager to make it to the top in football.
"It was Dave who recommended me to Swansea City and I was delighted to be given the job, which entails helping out in local junior schools alongside regular staff but also providing free coaching as an extra service.

"The holiday camps are held in Pembroke, Milford Haven and Haverfordwest, where we are very lucky to have a first-class link with club chairman David Hughes, who is always delighted to give us any support he can - and I know that I can always call on Dave Adams at any time."

Ceri has his office in the Liberty Stadium with Swansea City and watches training sessions there - and is always on the road looking at prospective players alongside Anthony Aldred, who is the scout for our area and often joins Ceri on Saturdays as they watch as many junior games as they able, especially if some of those involved have been recommended by their club coaches for consideration.

Life-changing experience in the USA

If Dave Adams has been a major influence in Ceri's involvement there is no doubt that another life-changing period occurred when Ceri jetted off to South Carolina in the USA for nine weeks where he coached eager youngsters from schools in a range of places across the state, playing on immaculate pitches, inaugurated by the local YMCAs, with the youngsters eager to learn their skills as well as talk about what football was like in the UK.

"Every area seemed to follow a top British club, like Liverpool were the favourites in Charleston, and the kids were really impressed to have sessions with a real British coach, even if it was Ceri Phillips, a youngster from St Clears.

"In each area I stayed with local families and I felt that I dramatically improved my social skills, as well as self-confidence.

And finally . . .

So now, as well as doing his developmental work with The Swans, the summer is rapidly approaching and Ceri will be involved in setting up camps in Haverfordwest and Pembroke where children from the age of five years old can enrol and mix learning all about the game, mixed in with a real sense of fun.

"I work closely with Ben Field, Wyndham Williams and Rominy Colville at Sport Pembrokeshire, based in County Hall and we also have some schools' football tournaments to look forward to so I'm really looking forward to my involvement there."

It is clear that Ceri Phillips, at 23 years old, has a passion for football which he loves passing on to young children - and we wish him continued success in getting others to follow in the footsteps of Charlie Phillips as potential future stars with Swansea City - and to youngsters who just want to play the game and get as much enjoyment out of it as possible!