Founder of rugby club that's a lifeline for children named BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2024 Unsung Hero

A man who founded a Welsh rugby club that has provided opportunities for over 200 children and adults in one of Cardiff's most economically deprived areas has been named as one of BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2024 Unsung Heroes.

15 individuals from across the BBC's different nations and regions have been chosen as winners, with each being celebrated as a volunteer who has made a "positive impact on their community by enabling participation in grassroots sports, bringing people together with a shared passion for sport".

Liam Mackay has been named as Wales' Unsung Hero for 2024, after he was recognised for founding Caerau Ely mini and junior rugby club back in 2018, growing it into the cornerstone of the community in order to help several children and adults.

Liam will now attend the BBC's prestigious awards ceremony on Tuesday 17 December, where one of the 15 regional winners will be crowned as the overall Unsung Hero.

"I'll be more nervous next Tuesday," he told WalesOnline. "If anything, it's an award for everyone.

"It's not about me. It's for everyone in Ely and Caerau. We always top the table for things that are wrong. So it's nice to flip the narrative with this.

"It's tougher for people in Ely to make something of themselves, and that's where sport comes in."

As part of the reasons for the award, the BBC noted how the club had been "providing opportunities for over 200 children and adults in an area that’s in the bottom 2% of economic output in Wales."

It added: "Partnering with a local foodbank, he ensures young people receive breakfast if needed and offers free access to rugby with initiatives like a boot bank. His “More than rugby” motto drives a focus on community and the wellbeing of players and their families."

In truth, his work with Caerau Ely is only part of what Liam has given back to rugby and his community, having been a champion for both the area and the sport for a considerable time now. Having spent time in prison in 2012, it was rugby that helped him onto the right path.

Part of that came through playing for his local rugby club, Glamorgan Wanderers, while he also took part in the television programme School of Hard Knocks. The programme, fronted by former internationals Scott Quinnell and Will Greenwood, highlighted the work of the charity of the same name - which uses rugby to help turn people's lives around.

For Liam, the eight-week course helped him find employment. Soon after, he would himself work for the charity as a course facilitator.

Back in 2017, he helped bring together 20 men from different parts of South Wales together in his home patch of Trelai Park in Caerau, handing each of them a second chance at life. You can read more about that here.

Between them all, they had faced unemployment, addiction, depression and criminal consequences, but with the help of Liam and the charity, the target of a rugby match against Caerau Ely and a jobs fair handed them the opportunity for redemption.

The following year, Liam would found Caerau Ely's junior and mini section - helping to spread the positive impact that rugby had on his life to the wider community. The result, thanks to Liam's work - as well as the efforts of Johanna Lovell, Victoria Highgate and a team of dedicated volunteers - was one of Welsh rugby's genuine success stories.

“For a lot of kids, there’s a lack of first chances,” Liam explained to WalesOnline back in 2021.

“There’s little opportunity to play sport at a low cost. Areas like ourselves, Fairwater and Tremorfa have fantastic clubs that have come to light in the last few years.

“Some kids are on their second or third chance. But we’ll be here until the end for them.

“They can have as many chances as they want.”

He added: “The values of rugby put me on the right path. So I thought why not start and let these kids take the fruit from the rugby tree, so to speak.

“We started in 2018 with 12 or 13 kids, a pack of cones and two balls for the first session.

“We’ve grown amazingly. The main reason we started this is to give kids in this area, who are often not thought about, the chance through rugby to create bonds and represent the area."

The club has continued to be a force for good in the community. As Liam knows only too well, the area tends to attract negative headlines.

Last year saw riots in Ely, while Liam noted in 2021 that of the top seven schools in Wales in terms of free school meals, five were in Ely.

However, the club has continued to provide support for parents who are struggling, and have worked closely with PCSOs and local foodbanks.

The club currently have around 45 volunteers registered, with around 25 of them having been upskilled to a Level 1 Food and Hygiene certificate - while some parents have got their first aid qualifications. All of which could help with job prospects. The under-16 players have also been working with the hub officers, with some helping to referee under-seven matches.

Even little things like that, which may seem small, are testament to the hard work put in to get the community involved. "Anything we can put our hands to, we do," adds Liam.