Top footy award for Paul

A local kids football coach has won a top national award on the same day that a true star was born in the Welsh national team.

Hours before 17-year-old Ben Woodburn announced his international arrival with the winning goal for Wales against Austria, Berriew FC Juniors coach, Paul Inns, won the Grassroots Impact Award at the FAW Trust Community Football Awards for a decade of work he has put into developing local talent.

“I’m very pleased to have won a national Award - although to be fair it’s as much an award for the rest of the coaches at Berriew FC Juniors as it is for me,” he said.

“The club has grown considerably over the last 8/9 years - which couldn't have been achieved without the hard work and dedication of all the coaches. Can I mention Andrew Wilde, who is something of an unsung hero - not keen on the limelight, and shunning any publicity or my attempts to nominate him for awards, he has been instrumental in the club’s success by undertaking a considerable amount of work behind the scenes that most people aren’t even aware of.

“The same can be said of Kelly Midmore who heads our girls section.

The club has grown to 26 coaches with 201 players of both sexes and covering all junior age groups.

“What is particularly satisfying is the high regard in which the club is held - both locally, regionally within the CWFA - and increasingly nationally,” added Paul.

“The fact that the club was in the running for so many awards this year reflects that. Kelly narrowly missed out on the national volunteer of the year, the club as a whole being one of six clubs in Wales to compete for the national club of the year and our Gareth Watkins coming close to picking up the national award for performance coach of the year for the work he does at Newtown academy.”