One of Wales' brightest football 'stars' has been celebrated at the prestigious awards ceremony created by the organisation that pioneers the development of Welsh football on and off the field.
Committed to encouraging grassroots football participation, coaching and volunteering in Wales, the Welsh Football Trust honored its greatest achievers at an awards ceremony held at Cardiff's Hilton Hotel on Thursday, July 16, in partnership with their community sponsors, McDonalds.
This year, 10 awards were announced after the introduction of the Player of the Year (Boy - with disability) award which went to Rhys Eynon from Llandissilio. At 19-years-old, Rhys, who has autism, shows great promise as goalkeeper for the Cleddau Warriors.
Through dedication to his training, Rhys was selected to play for the Welsh Mencap team who went to Geneva in May for the International Football Festival.
As well as showing great strength of character through his own achievements, Rhys is working to help other children develop their skills and just recently completed his football leaders award, the first step on the ladder to becoming a disabled coach.
Rhys's father, Ian Eynon, said: "I am very proud of Rhys. He sets himself high personal goals and this is recognition that he continues to reach them. This new award is a fantastic boost to players who suffer from disabilities across Wales and I want to thank the Trust for all they have done for these youngsters."
Former Welsh footballer and McDonalds' head of Welsh football, Ian Rush, was present at the awards evening and was keen to praise the work of the Welsh Football Trust in supporting football in the community.
Rush said: "The Welsh Football Trust plays a massive part in ensuring football is accessible to all children and in the skill development of these youngsters. I recognise the importance of growing talent from the local clubs up, and I am looking forward to continuing to work closely with the Trust in future initiatives."
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