The women’s football World Cup is being held in June, and an Abertridwr football coach is helping England dream of lifting the prized trophy.
David Gough, 33, is one of the youngest football coaches to hold a UEFA ‘A’ coaching licence in the UK and is currently in Canada with the England Women’s football team.
In his role as technical assistant, the coach studies hours of football matches to brief his players on their opponents.
It is a far cry from the football field down Abertridwr park where David began his love affair with the ‘beautiful game’.
A former sports lecturer at South Wales University, David has held coaching roles at Merthyr Town FC, the Welsh Football Trust and Cardiff City FC before being hired by England Women’s manager (and fellow Welshman) Mark Sampson.
His skills as a coach have been recognised overseas and David, or Goughy as he is more commonly known, will be emigrating to America with wife Leigh and their three children (with another on the way) to take up a top coaching position with Arkansas Rush – a community ‘soccer’ club. Together with his new job, which he starts in July, Gough will remain with the England set-up
Despite his increasing international profile within the game, Gough has not forgotten his roots.
He said: “If it hadn’t been for people like Sid Jenkins and Dai McLaren, both from Abertridwr, I wouldn’t be where I am. They gave me my first chance.
“I want a kid in Aber, or anywhere else for that matter, to know that if they put their head down and work hard, they can get to the World Cup. Just because you’re from a certain place, doesn’t mean you can’t set the bar high.”