Sports Stars Celebrate at Swansea Uni
The popular Welsh rugby
international Paul Thorburn, famous for his ‘kick of the age’ against Scotland
in 1986, will be an opening speaker at a book launch at Swansea University.
Written by Stan Addicott, A Century of Sport presents the
story of the last 100 years of sporting activity at the University, from its
founding after the First World War to present times.
A panoply of sporting heroes, old
and new, are featured including Olympic medalists and international players
active in a wide range of sports including rugby, football, athletics,
swimming, hockey and cricket. The book also charts the rise of women’s sport,
the advent of the professional era, and the development of sport from just five
University clubs to more than fifty today.
Stan Addicott, the author, is a
former Director of Sport and Physical Education at the University, and has a
lifetime of coaching experience including Swansea RFC and as assistant coach to
the Wales national team. He is well known in Swansea sporting circles and was
past president of Langland Bay Golf Club.
Set decade
by decade against the social and political events of the time the
book traces the development of sport at the University but also emphasises its
benefits to the wider community. It describes how a ‘converted refuse dump’ was
developed into a magnificent Sports Park, and how new facilities were
painstakingly built, such as the Wales National Swimming Pool and the Sports
Hall at the new Bay Campus.
The author lists a surprising number
prominent sports stars – such as Wales rugby captain, Alun Wyn Jones – who were
educated at Swansea University, but spices their educational achievements with
colourful anecdotes and comments.