FOOTBALL and facilities – it is an issue that I know is an important topic for players and parents in Barry.

We need better facilities, but it is also about how resources are used at the facilities we have. Youth and mini football appears to be undergoing a resurgence in the Barry area. New senior teams have formed in many local towns this season – Barry, Cowbridge and St Athan have all added teams and the pressure on facilities is tested with more teams.

The acute need is for mini football access. It is at this age where we want to get children active, involved and hooked on sport. Across Barry and in other towns nearby there are waiting lists of young players waiting to join a team, and when they do join they may not always have access to pitches to play.

We should have a clear aim that if a young boy or girl wants to play football – they should be able to find a team and be able to find a pitch on a Saturday. At the moment, there is a great deal of frustration from coaches, parents and players who cannot gain access to local pitches and get places in teams. The frustration comes from the knowledge that the sport bug is caught young, and it offers so much to children from all backgrounds. Sport develops character and it teaches children life skills. I have yet to speak to a local coach who hasn’t told me about a young boy or girl that has been kept on the right path in life due to the support of their team mates and coaches.

Sport on a Saturday is a hugely important part of our lives. The choice of sport does not matter. That is why I am encouraging those local communities around the Vale of Glamorgan to try and identify suitable sites for next generation artificial surfaces that can be used year round, day in and day out. Barry could accommodate a number of artificial facilities, and it is now when the temperature drops and the rain follows that we need these better facilities for the use of the whole community.