Waunarlwydd's Margaret Smith, 82, 'heart and soul' of village sport

A woman, 82, who has dedicated herself to village sport for decades says life has felt empty during lockdown.

Margaret Smith usually washes football kits, organises the darts league, prepares buffets and has marked scores for the cricket side for 70 years.

She does all this from her home in Waunarlwydd, Swansea, where she also cares for her husband who has dementia.

A gradual return to action begun on Saturday in Wales, with under-18s allowed to play team sports again.

"It's been very odd. I've found it hard without sport. I would plan my days around the games and the work I did for the clubs," said Mrs Smith.

"My life has become very empty. I virtually haven't moved from the chair in the last 12 months. All I've done is knitting. At least with the sport I got of the house."

There is hope adult sporting teams will be able to get back into action soon, after the Welsh government cited vaccine rollout and low infection rates as causes for optimism.

Mrs Smith said caring for her husband does not leave her with much free time, which made her cherish even more the experience with sports teams.

"It brightened my outlook doing the scoring and the kits and the cricket teas. I would look forward to the games, win or lose," she said.

Mrs Smith added washing football kits to her list 30 years ago, when her grandchildren started playing and "it's stuck with me".

The job expanded over the years and before team sports were put on hold last March, she was also washing strips for Waunarlywdd Galaxy seniors and juniors.

"In all the decades she's been doing the washing, a kit has never gone missing or not been ready in time for a match," said chairman Dean Thomas-Welsh.

For Mrs Smith, looking after local teams is not just a hobby but a way of life, and she worries future generations may not put as much into keeping community clubs alive.

"My boys have done so well, and they are so pleased with what I do which means I'm happy to do it. It's very rewarding," she said.

As restrictions begin to ease across Wales, Mrs Smith has big plans for the next cricket and football seasons.

She added: "The main bit of excitement for me is when the boys see what I have in store for their tea.

With some other clubs they don't cook at all, they put on a measly tea after the games and I can't believe that some players can manage with it."

Paying tribute, Waunarlwydd football club said Mrs Smith is the first name on every team sheet in the village.

"Without Margaret it's hard to imagine sport in our community," the club said.

"For 70 years, she's marked the score book for our local cricket side. She's spent decades as our kit lady and never once failed to have them ready. Sometimes she can wash nine kits in a week."