After completing the 12 month WRU rugby development apprenticeship, where 18-24 year olds earn recognised sport-specific and NVQ qualifications while gaining hands-on experience within schools and community settings, Barry-born Sebastian Vidal secured a full-time post as Rhyl High School hub officer, providing rugby activities for all and linking with Rhyl Rugby Club to create opportunities away from the school environment.
He has been instrumental in delivering a project during the summer in conjunction with North Wales Police for young people and families in the town, which is an area of high social deprivation, and Rhyl RFC chairman, former England coach Richard Greenwood OBE (father of Will) was so impressed with Seb’s approach and abilities that he appointed him head coach of the club’s 1st XV – alongside his remit of increasing participation within the club’s junior and youth sides.
Seb, who attended Ysgol Bro Morgannwg in the Vale of Glamorgan said, “I was working in care when the WRU apprenticeship opportunity came up. I didn’t know what career path I wanted but I’d always loved rugby.
“I didn’t get through the application process initially, but I got a second chance and took it with both hands. I’ve never looked back.
“With the help of my apprenticeship mentor Anthony Palmer, programme manager Carl Scales and the WRU rugby development department in the Dragons region, where I was based, I gained so many fantastic opportunities to develop and expand my experience of coaching.
“Setting up and running a disability tag rugby programme alongside some of my apprentice colleagues was probably the highlight of the year. To see children with different disabilities from different backgrounds getting so much enjoyment from rugby was immense.
“And now to be given this opportunity at Rhyl High and to be given the first team coaching opportunity by Richard Greenwood has really kicked me on again and given me a career pathway I want to stay in for the rest of my life.”
Richard Greenwood said: “Seb impressed me with his practical delivery during the Rhyl High School interview process and he stood out as a man who could influence youngsters for the good. He’s dynamic, experienced in terms of his technical expertise, principled and doing a first class job.
“We’re not perfect as a club by any means, but his approach is positive, his message about where we want to go is clear and I had no hesitation in appointing him part way through last season when he helped us gain 40 points in a league we weren’t expected to do well in.”
Work is near completion on a £1.5million project to transform Rhyl RFC for the benefit of the whole community. CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY.
Greenwood added:
“We are currently playing all our games away from home until our new pitches and clubhouse are complete but the signs are good for the second half of the season and the future of Rhyl, in close partnership with Rhyl High and the whole community.”
Of the award, Seb added, “It was an honour but it’s something I would never have achieved without the help of Carl and Anthony during the apprenticeship.
“That is what I told the current apprentices at the Coach Core awards – trust those guys as they’ll put you on the right path for the future.”
Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the ceremony to meet the inspiring winners and nominees, including Sebastian, as well as this year’s inspiring young graduates and apprentices from the life-changing Coach Core programme.
Established by The Royal Foundation in 2012, Coach Core aims to harness the power of sport, and its ability to change lives and empower young people. Driven by a desire to build upon the legacy of the Olympic Games, Coach Core was created by The Royal Foundation to inspire young people who are not in education or employment through sport, and create the next generation of sports coaches who will themselves go on to inspire their communities for many more generations to come.
Speaking at the event, The Duke of Sussex said: “Sport does not discriminate. But lack of support and barriers to access do, which is why the role of Coach Core fostering this raw talent is absolutely vital.
“Sport can inspire and invigorate, and as we have seen today, with the right opportunity, the right mentoring and the right focus, lives can be changed.”
Five other prizes were awarded on the night. These include Community Outreach Project of the Year, Inclusion Programme of the Year, Mentor of the Year, Educator of the Year and Apprentice of the Year.
