A teenage Welsh footballer has paid tribute to her Ystrad Mynach college for providing the foundations to study and compete at the same time.
Ffion Morgan, aged 16, has represented Wales at both under-19 and senior level, making her debut in last month’s friendly against Northern Ireland at Ystrad Mynach’s Centre for Sporting Excellence.
The teenager is part of the college’s elite female football academy, set up in conjunction with the Football Association of Wales to provide girls from all over Wales with the opportunity to combine daily coaching sessions, intensive training and weekly games with full-time study.
Ffion said: “I am very fortunate as the college has been very supportive with my football career, adjusting deadlines when I’ve been away with the squad and providing me with advice and support when I’ve needed it.”
Ffion won her first senior cap as Wales beat Northern Ireland 3-1 on April 5, in the same match her hero Jess Fishlock was awarded her 100th cap.
She added: “It’s a surreal experience performing alongside the very person who inspired you to start in the first place. It’s motivated me to want to be the best of the best and I’d love for young players joining the team to come in and look up to me in the same way I looked up to her.”