Latest news with #TeamWales
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Joe Allen's mum wins tennis title and he hangs up his boots
The bank holiday weekend was a memorable one for the Allen family. Joe Allen ended his professional football career in Swansea City's final game of the season, while his mother, Jane Allen, led Team Wales to victory in the Senior Four Nations tennis tournament in Wrexham. Mr Allen, 35, was given a guard of honour as he led out his boyhood club at the Stadium on Saturday. He retired after almost 600 club appearances and 77 international caps for Wales, having played in Euro 2016, Euro 2020, and the 2024 World Cup. Mrs Allen, a stalwart in Haverfordwest's team, has also enjoyed years of success in her sport. She has captained at county level and has twice led Wales in the Senior Four Nations, a bi-annual tournament featuring teams from Wales, England, Ireland, and Scotland. The doubles specialist, along with singles players Ellinore Lightbody and Jenny Burrows, opened the tournament with a 3-0 win over Scotland. They followed that up with a 2-1 victory over Ireland to set up a title decider against England, which they won 2-1. They were the only Welsh team to win their age group in Wrexham, with Ms Lightbody of Swansea Tennis Club winning all six of her singles and doubles matches. Mrs Allen said: "I have to admit, when I saw I had Elinore and Jenny in the team, I thought we could do very well, they are both quality players. "Elinore was simply in a league of her own, she only dropped 13 games throughout the entire weekend, while Jenny played a stormer in the all-important decider. "I couldn't be prouder of them and it was an honour and a privilege to have played a small part in the victory. "In the 30 years I've played tennis I've been very lucky to have partnered some outstanding players, none more so than Laura Davies who is among the best veterans players in the country."
Pembrokeshire Herald
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Allen family serve up a weekend to remember
Joe retires from football as Jane leads Wales to tennis victory THE BANK HOLIDAY weekend was one to remember for the Allen family, as both Joe and Jane Allen made headlines in their respective sports. Joe Allen brought down the curtain on a glittering professional football career by captaining Swansea City in their final game of the season at the Stadium on Saturday (May 4). The 35-year-old was given a guard of honour as he led out his boyhood club, calling time on a career that spanned nearly 600 club appearances and 77 international caps for Wales. A key figure in Wales' golden era, Allen featured at Euro 2016, Euro 2020, and the 2024 World Cup. He will be remembered as one of the finest midfielders to have worn the red shirt. Meanwhile, his mother, Jane Allen, led Team Wales to victory in the prestigious Senior Four Nations tennis tournament in Wrexham. A stalwart of Haverfordwest Tennis Club and captain at county level, Jane has twice had the honour of leading Wales in the bi-annual tournament, which features teams from Wales, England, Ireland and Scotland. The Welsh team got off to a flying start, defeating Scotland 3-0, with Jane partnering in the doubles and teammates Elinore Lightbody and Jenny Burrows claiming singles victories. A 2-1 win over Ireland followed, setting up a title decider against England. Wales triumphed 2-1 to secure the age-group title—becoming the only Welsh team to do so in this year's event. The standout player of the weekend was Swansea's Elinore Lightbody, who remained unbeaten across all six of her singles and doubles matches, dropping just 13 games. Jane said: 'When I saw I had Elinore and Jenny in the team, I knew we had a real chance—they're both quality players. Elinore was simply in a league of her own, and Jenny played a stormer in the all-important decider. 'I couldn't be prouder of them. It was an honour and a privilege to have played a small part in the victory. 'In the 30 years I've played tennis, I've been lucky to partner some outstanding players—none more so than Laura Davies, who remains one of the best veterans players in the country.'
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
£1 million fund launched ahead of women's Euro 2025 campaign
A £1 million support fund has been launched ahead of Cymru women's first European championship football appearance later this year. On Saturday, July 5, the team will make history when they face the Netherlands for their first game at the UEFA Euro 2025 tournament in Switzerland. The Welsh Government and partner organisations have established the Euro 2025 Partner Support Fund to harness the opportunity to inspire future generations and boost sports participation. The fund will provide grants to organisations across the culture, arts, sport, and media sectors. Projects could include opportunities to promote Wales internationally, youth sports engagement, and fan celebration events across Wales, Europe, and the world. Jack Sargeant, minister for sport, said: "Cymru women's historic Euro 2025 qualification is a unique opportunity to build upon the growing momentum in women's and girls' football across our nation. "We're committing this £1 million to boost participation in sport across our communities and showcase Wales on the international stage. "By bringing together partners from across multiple sectors, we're taking a collaborative 'Gorau chwarae, cyd chwarae' approach to create a lasting legacy from this tournament. "This fund will use the invaluable expertise of a range of organisations to support and enhance our already-planned programme of activities, projecting our collective strength as a nation, as a Team Wales that is stronger together." Noel Mooney, Football Association of Wales' CEO, said: "The historic qualification of Cymru for this summer's Euro 2025 brings huge opportunities, not just for the team but for our nation as a whole. "With the team putting Wales on the world stage in Switzerland, we have the potential to come together to celebrate, to challenge negative gender stereotypes and to boost participation in football at all levels. "We want everyone across Cymru to be able to feel a part of this extraordinary moment, no matter where they are, and this fund will help to make that vision a reality." Initial expressions of interest should be submitted by Friday, March 7. Final decisions will be announced by Friday, April 18.
BBC News
11-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Britton 'grew as a person' after year-long concussion battle
Great Britain cyclist Rhys Britton says he is embracing every opportunity after losing a year of his career to 25-year-old crashed in training in 2023 and says the next year was a "write off".He missed out on a place at the Paris Olympics but returned to international racing at October's World Welshman will compete at the European Track Cycling Championships in Belgium this week and is looking to kick on."It took me about a year to get over [the concussion] and get back to the level I was beforehand," he told BBC Sport Wales."It was great to see the boys go and get a silver medal [in Paris], but it was a pretty difficult time for me."It was hard, but it also gives me a lot of motivation to go for the next one and go for this Euros - just kick on from that disappointment and leave it behind." A talented teenager, Britton was selected by Team Wales for the 2018 Commonwealth Games aged just 18 - where he finished fourth as part of the team pursuit and helped teammate Jon Mould to a silver medal in the road won world bronze in the scratch race for Great Britain in 2021, before competing at the Commonwealth Games and European Championships in was going in the right direction. Then, the following year, it happened."It was just a crash in training," Britton continued. "I touched the wheels and it was just a crash."We have a concussion protocol and I got to the last stage two or three times and then got pushed back to stage one."It's probably one of the hardest injuries I've had, just because there's not really a time frame on it. Like with a collarbone, you can have an operation on it and you're fine to go on the turbo and six weeks later you can get back on the road. But concussion-wise, it's not linear at all, which makes it harder mentally."I learned a lot from it. I grew a lot as a person."Why? Because it showed how easily an athlete's career can be taken away. Britton admits he enjoys his cycling a lot more now, but he remains as focused as 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are already on his horizon, albeit a distant now, it is about enjoying - and impressing at - his next major event for his European Track Cycling Championships run from Wednesday 12 to Sunday 16 February in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium.
