For a feature for Sporting Memories Wales website, Helen Davies, Supporter Liaison Officer at Scarlets and a volunteer at our Scarlets Sporting Memories club, has chatted about the impact of the weekly club, now in its third year.
Helen has been involved with the club since it began in the spring of 2023 and we started off our conversation with how the group has developed over the past few years since it launched at Parc y Scarlets.
“When we started the group there were around seven or eight attending most sessions, whereas now we had over 40 attending the Christmas lunch we held recently, so that shows how much it has grown.
“What I’ve also noticed is that we’re not so much of a group who meet once a week, we’re more like a family now. Everyone gets along really well; and we have a nice range of ages which helps create that community and family feel in a way.
“It’s the highlight of the week for a lot of them (members) and they don’t want to miss it – it’s become an important part of their lives. One example was that previously we used to pause the club over the summer holidays, but due to the demand and requests from the members we now keep going over the summer.”
The social element of what the Sporting Memories session that Scarlets offer is hugely important to their members, as Helen explained.
“A consequence of the Club has been that Wednesdays at the Parc y Scarlets is not simply a ‘Sporting Memories’ group – quite a few stay around to chat and have lunch afterwards and almost make a day of it.
“You get to understand that Sporting Memories is their social activity for the week and they try to make the most of it. What I’ve noticed too is that when we have new members join us, they don’t just join us for one session, they keep coming back.
“There was a Scarlets match recently where a lot of the Sporting Memories group members met before going to watch the game, so that shows how members feel like a community which is more than just our Wednesday gatherings.”
That connection to Scarlets runs deep, the group launched with the support of Scarlets Community Foundation and has been held at the Parc y Scarlets since its launch. Helen shared how that connection has added an extra layer of enjoyment for members, particularly through interactions with the Scarlets team.
“The cafe at Parc y Scarlets was where we held our Sporting Memories sessions until a few months ago, and due to the numbers now that we’ve got coming along, we’ve had to move into another part of the stadium. While we were based in the cafe, we’d often have players and the coaching team come over to us when they’re in there having their lunch and had a chat – sometimes joining in with the quizzes!
“In particular, our coach Dwayne (Peel) enjoyed looking at the quiz and seeing how he would get on. For our Christmas Lunch in 2024, we had some of the Scarlets team and Dwayne come along and join us which was really special.
“We’ve actually got some of our members who have played for the Scarlets over the years, or have family members who have been part of the club. Whenever there is that interaction with the current team, the players are always interested to hear the stories of the past and the history of the club which is lovely to see. From my point of view, just hearing the stories shared by members from the years gone by is fascinating.
“We’ve also had a few former players and legends come along to Sporting Memories as well to speak about their careers and playing for the Scarlets as well, like Roy Bergiers, Rupert Moon, Gareth Jenkins, Derek Quinnell and Lou Reed.
“It’s quite funny because you think of children when they get starstruck by their heroes, but our members are exactly the same as well! It’s lovely because you’ve got men in their 70s who are thrilled to meet these players, chat with them and have their selfies taken!”
“That all helps to build the connection with Scarlets and Sporting Memories and those moments have gone down really well with the members.”
We wrapped up our chat with Helen by asking about what the future holds for the Sporting Memories group in Llaneli as we begin 2026.
“We just want to continue making the club as enjoyable as possible for everyone who attends. We ask members to contribute to a weekly raffle, where they can win prizes, and the money raised from that helps us to do activities away from the sessions as well.
“Last year we took a trip to Sophia Gardens to watch the cricket with the members thanks to the money raised by the raffle, and certainly this year we’d like to do some further outings with the group.”
A big thank you to Helen for her time and sharing what a great session Scarlets Sporting Memories is. They meet every Wednesday at Parc y Scarlets between from 11am to 12.30pm. For further information on how to join, email [email protected] or call 07736 641 284.