Our impact: nurturing young talent

Trust Support Played a Part in Oliver Barratt’s Judo Journey

The George Morgan Young Player Trust has always been proud to support talented young sportsmen and women from across our communities as they strive to fulfil their potential – and Oliver Barratt is a fine example of the type of young athlete the Trust was established to help.

The talented Llantwit Fardre judoka received a grant from the George Morgan Young Player Trust in 2019, at a time when his career was beginning to progress rapidly towards elite level.

Already demonstrating considerable promise, Oliver was selected for the Great Britain Full Time Elite Development Squad and became based with British Judo in April 2019, committing himself to an intensive training programme alongside his studies in Sport Science at the University of Wolverhampton.

It was a demanding period, both physically and financially, as Oliver sought opportunities to compete domestically and internationally.

The support provided by the George Morgan Young Player Trust helped towards those additional costs, including competition expenses, judo kits costing more than £200 each and specialist training equipment.

Success on the Mat

Oliver quickly justified the faith shown in him with an outstanding sequence of performances.

He became Junior Commonwealth Champion at over 100kg in September 2019 before winning both the Junior and Senior Welsh Championship titles two months later.

December brought further success when he was crowned Junior British Champion at 90kg, followed by a silver medal at the Scottish Open in January 2020 and the British Universities title at over 100kg the following month.

His progress continued internationally and he ended 2019 with a bronze medal in the men’s +100kg heavyweight category at the African Open in Dakar.

Those achievements were the product of an enormous commitment to his sport, with Oliver training six days a week while simultaneously completing his university studies.

Overcoming an Unexpected Challenge

Like so many athletes, Oliver’s plans were dramatically disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

A programme that had been expected to take him across Europe for competitions and training camps in Germany, Spain, Poland, Portugal and Hungary was suddenly thrown into uncertainty.

The enforced break from judo did, however, provide an opportunity to concentrate heavily on strength and conditioning. Oliver worked on increasing his strength and fitness so that he would be physically prepared when the opportunity came to return to the mat.

The mental challenge was different.

Oliver admitted at the time that the uncertainty surrounding when he might be able to practise judo again was difficult, but one of the fundamental values his sport had taught him proved particularly important – discipline.

Maintaining that discipline allowed him to establish a routine throughout lockdown and prepare himself for the eventual return to elite training.

When British Judo resumed, training initially looked very different, with social distancing measures, designated groups and athletes working with specific partners in individual clusters.

Oliver adapted once again.

A Role With ParalympicsGB

His development subsequently led to another tremendous opportunity when Oliver was selected as a training partner for British Paralympic judoka preparing for the Tokyo Paralympic Games.

Having originally been asked to assist the athletes with their preparations, Oliver went on to travel to Tokyo with the team ahead of the Games – another significant experience for a young Welsh athlete whose journey had started much closer to home.

Never Forgetting His Rugby Roots

Despite the huge commitment required to compete at elite level in judo, Oliver maintained a keen interest in rugby and particularly his local club, Llantwit Fardre RFC.

At one stage he had even hoped to turn out for the club’s Youth team and potentially make his senior debut for the Seconds when his judo commitments allowed.

That connection to grassroots sport and the local community is particularly appropriate for the George Morgan Young Player Trust.

Supporting the Journey

Oliver’s story demonstrates exactly why the Trust continues to provide grants to aspiring young sportspeople.

For talented youngsters pursuing opportunities at national and international level, the cost of travel, equipment, competition entry and specialist training can quickly become considerable.

The grant Oliver received in 2019 could not fund every aspect of an elite sporting programme, but it helped provide valuable assistance at an important stage of his development.

At the time, Oliver’s ambitions were firmly set on major international competition, with the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and Paris 2024 Olympic Games among the targets on the horizon.

Whatever direction a sporting career ultimately takes, the George Morgan Young Player Trust is proud to have played a small part in Oliver Barratt’s journey and to have supported a young sportsman from our community as he pursued his ambitions at the highest level.

Supporting Young Sportsmen and Women.