Rugby coach and former Wales centre Kevin Hopkins has been appointed Pembrokeshire College Sports Academy coaching co-ordinator to develop sporting excellence in the county. Talented students will benefit from Kevin's expertise and experience as a former international player and coach.
"I am really excited about this new challenge - West Wales has a reputation for sporting excellence. Nurturing talent is a hugely rewarding opportunity and I hope that the contacts and experience I bring to the job will be of benefit to our future players," said Kevin.
This appointment coincides with a new sponsorship deal that the college has landed with Chevron Pembroke Refinery to further fund and develop sporting excellence in the county. Chevron will be helping to fund coaching, facilities and kit to give more opportunities to participating students.
"Chevron is very committed to its support of sport in the county, we recognise its importance and we're delighted to be supporting this new initiative with Pembrokeshire College", added Jane James, public affairs manager for Chevron.
"The sports academy at the college has been a great success and I am keen to develop it," said Kevin. "I have been thinking about the ways in which we can really make a difference to these talented young people, like arranging challenging matches to stretch their skills and instilling a professional approach to their sporting development."
Kevin Hopkins's distinguished career includes seven Welsh caps, including appearing in the first Rugby World cup in 1987; two caps for the Barbarians and captaining Swansea RFC. His coaching career to date includes Swansea under 21s, Swansea RFC and Wales under 21s for five years that included winning the Grand Slam in 2003. Kevin recently managed the coaching at the Ospreys as the director of rugby.
Kevin moves from his current position as the manager for the stadium shared with Bridgend Ravens RFC, Bridgend Town FC and the Celtic Crusaders rugby league team to this new post at the college..
The college sports academy gives students with a flair for netball, rugby, football, or golf, a comprehensive programme to develop their performance. The Chevron supported programme includes professional coaching, experience of competitive matches, personal fitness programme and testing, diet and nutrition advice sports psychology and physiology. Kevin will have a role to play across all four sports to ensure that students have the best possible opportunities to progress in their chosen sport alongside their other studies.
One of many who have already benefittd from the Academy, Dominic Day, who now plays for the Scarlets, said: 'The rugby academy helped me in many ways to make it as a professional player - the academic side prepared me for university, while the training - particularly the free weights and gym work and regular strong competition - helped me to the physical condition I needed."
College principal Glyn Jones said: "This is great appointment for the college - the sports academies are an important part of the extra-curricular support we offer our students and landing someone of Kevin's calibre will make a big difference. It is the college's ambition to join the elite group of colleges and universities with a reputation for sporting excellence."