Former Wales rugby player appointed to key college post

Talented students will benefit from Kevin’s expertise and experience as a former international player and coach.

Kevin said: “I am really excited about this new challenge – west Wales has a reputation for sporting excellence. Nurturing talent is a hugely rewarding opportunity and I hope that the contacts and experience I bring to the job will be of benefit to our future players.”

This appointment coincides with a new sponsorship deal that the college has landed with Chevron Pembroke Refinery to further fund and develop sporting excellence in the county. “Chevron is very committed to its support of sport in the county, we recognise its importance and we’re delighted to be supporting this new initiative with Pembrokeshire College,” said Jane James, public affairs manager for Chevron.

“The sports academy at the college has been a great success and I am keen to develop it,” said Kevin. ‘I have been thinking about the ways in which we can really make a difference to these talented young people, like arranging challenging matches to stretch their skills and instil a professional approach to their sporting development.”

Kevin Hopkins’ distinguished career included seven Welsh caps. He appeared in the first Rugby World Cup in 1987; played twice for the Barbarians and captained Swansea RFC.

His coaching career to date includes Swansea under-21s, Swansea RFC and Wales under-21s for five years and in that period won the Grand Slam in 2003. Kevin recently managed the coaching at the Ospreys as the director of rugby.

Kevin moves from his current position as the manager for the stadium shared with Bridgend Ravens RFC, Bridgend Town FC and the Celtic Crusaders rugby league team to this new post at the college.

The college sports academy gives students with a flair for netball, rugby, football, or golf, a comprehensive programme to develop their performance.