On behalf of all the officers of RCTSFA, I would like to wish all of our players, parents/guardians, coaches, partner schools, fellow associations and our generous sponsors a fantastic Christmas.
This has been another challenging year for everyone, and it is evident that these troubled times are set to continue into a new year. I would, therefore, like to take this opportunity to thank our wonderful volunteer staff who continue to go the extra mile to provide our players with the platform to compete at county level and with it the privilege to represent their schools at such a high level of football. It is these volunteers who have had to balance the demands of developing our players and teams together with the myriad of COVID controls and measures that we have implemented to keep everyone safe at our activities. I know from personal experience the sacrifices that all our staff make to create the enabling environment that is needed for our players to flourish and grow.
Remarkably, during these times of considerable challenge and instability, the Association continues to grow and prosper. In every respect, the Association has never operated at such a scale. With over 260 players across 13 county squads, we now have students representing over 60 RCT schools in our squads. The growth in our reach over the last 4 years has been quite impressive and we must place on record our gratitude to the teaching community in RCT for their ongoing support.
I have been delighted to see our inter schools provision relaunch again this term after the hiatus in 19/20. We added a new U18s Girls format this year and this underlines the continued expansion of the female game under the auspices of RCTSFA. If the football governing bodies want to accelerate the growth of female football in Wales, the key resides within our schools competitions. For many girls, the inter schools cup competitions (both RCTSFA & WSFA) is the gateway into the game, this is such an untapped potential for the football governing body in Wales as it aspires to grow the female game in Wales. Perhaps 2022 will be the year where some joined up thinking could emerge to join up the dots.
As I look towards the new year, there is much to celebrate. Our players and coaches continue to model our values of respect, commitment and teamwork as they compete very ably against the very best footballing talent across Wales. During the year, the Association once again claimed silverware on the pitch, but my real pride is seeing the way in which every single player competes for every ball and every tackle in every fixture when they put on the green jersey. I have no doubt that 2022 will produce further great moments for the Association as our players and staff continue to expand our positive reputation within the county game.
I wish you all a peaceful and safe Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Yours in football
Ceri
Ceri Jones
Chairman
RCTSFA
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