Last month the Swans Trust Board approached local sports-based author David Brayley to help promote the work of the Trust in the various projects that David is involved with, both locally and further afield. We are delighted to confirm that Dave has agreed to join us and will work as a Trust Ambassador for at least the remainder of this season.
Many of you may well have heard of or read some of Dave’s work over the years and if you’d like to learn more about him his website https://www.david-brayley.co.uk/ is well worth a visit.
He is also on Twitter as @davidbrayley
We asked Dave to provide us with a few lines about himself and why he decided to take up this Trust Ambassador role and his response was as follows:
“I’m a lifelong Swansea City fan and award-winning author from Swansea, having supported the club since my first match at the Vetch, against Lincoln City in 1973, and it’s been a huge part of my life since that day.
In terms of my writing career, my links with the club are strong having had the privilege to have written books with former players, Tony Cottey (‘There’s Only Two Tony Cotteys’) and Swans legend, Ashley Williams (‘Ashley Williams – My Premier League Diary’), which have given me a unique behind the scenes insight into the job players at our club do, especially with Ashley, where I was able to shadow him throughout the club’s first season in the Premier League which was an incredible experience and one so important in our long history.
I was then invited by the club to write two official ‘Swansea City Quiz Books’ in 2014 & 15, with a view to engaging with the younger element of the club’s fan base by encouraging them to learn about the rich history of the club through entertaining and engaging quizzes. This idea allied with the educational work I was doing at the time for the National Literacy Trust and their successful Premier Reading Stars initiative, that I continue to support to this day.
Recently, I have focussed on writing several sports-based children’s books, the latest being a collaboration with former Wales rugby player, James Hook. Our first book in our ‘Chasing a Rugby Dream’ series – ‘Kick Off’ – won the prestigious Telegraph Sports Book of the Year Award in the children’s books category in 2021.
My passion for the history of Swansea City is central to much of my work and I have recently made a documentary with the Taliesin Arts Centre in Swansea University telling the extraordinary story of five young men from Alice Street in Cwmdu who were all capped by Wales between 1946 and 1959, four of whom are ex- Swans – Ernie Jones, Jackie Roberts, Mel Charles and Mel Nurse. The fifth being former Swans Ground Staff member, John Charles.
My lifelong passion for following the Swans in all four divisions and the successes and failures of the last 50 years has given me a great perspective of the importance of the club to the community of Swansea and an understanding that managers and players may come and go, but it is always the fans that remain.
I aim to help continue to strengthen this vital link between the fans and the club as an Ambassador for the Swansea City Supporters’ Trust and look forward to positively promoting the work of the Trust in this honorary role that I’m delighted to have been offered.”
We would like to express our grateful thanks to Dave for taking up this role and we look forward to working alongside him over the coming season.
Swansea City Supporters’ Trust
9th October 2023
