Cornerstone Commercial Finance’s head of corporate finance, Rhys Williams, has been appointed president of the South Wales Football Association.
Williams (pictured) takes on the voluntary position after serving as a non-executive director of the association since August 2020 and as deputy president from 2022.
The South Wales FA is the largest of Wales’s five regional football associations and is responsible for running the South Wales Premier League.
TWO DECADES IN GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL
Williams has been involved in grassroots football for 20 years, becoming chairman of Cowbridge Town AFC in 2006. During his time in the role, the number of teams at the club more than tripled.
Cowbridge Town now has teams ranging from under-six level to senior sides and more than 400 registered players. Williams, who played for Cowbridge All Stars as a teenager and was part of Cowbridge Town’s first senior side in the early 1980s, is now the club’s life president.
His sons, Tom and George, also played for Cowbridge Town’s junior teams.
Williams says: “I am passionate about making grassroots football accessible to all. I’m incredibly proud to be associated with the largest sport in Wales in terms of participation, and to play my part in making it available to players across abilities and genders.
“In recent years I’ve been particularly pleased to see the growth of women’s and girls’ football across South Wales.
“Sport plays such a vital role in developing young people, teaching them communication skills, teamwork and respect. It is so important for fitness as well as for mental health.
“Above all, grassroots football should be safe, friendly and fun. Winning the league is the icing on the cake, but week in and week out being part of a club is about players developing in the right environment.”
Williams is also a non-executive director of Business in Focus.
Kevin Morgan, managing director of Cornerstone Commercial Finance, says: “Rhys’ appointment as President of the South Wales FA is very well deserved.
“His voluntary work for grassroots football over the past 20 years has seen him dedicate not only a considerable amount of his time, but also his skills, experience and knowledge.
“We’re proud that his hard work has been recognised with this position and wish him every success in the role.”
