Ahead of one of the busiest weekends in Welsh sport, Professor Laura McAllister today unveiled her ambitions as the new Chair of the Sports Council for Wales.

The former Welsh football international stepped into the job at the beginning of February and today she outlined that she is eager to see:

• sport's place at the heart of Wales and its culture championed right across the board
• all children in Wales hooked on sport for life
• untapped sporting talent identified - by encouraging more people to volunteer to help out their local community team and by investing in and training the very best coaches
• a greater profile for sport and the impact it has socially, culturally and economically
• Wales as a world-beater - ensuring that elite athletes and teams capable of World class success are getting the very best support

McAllister explained that the Sports Council - which will be known as Sport Wales in the coming months - will be raising the profile of sport right across Wales over the next 12 months to ensure that decision makers appreciate the full impact that sport is having on their doorstep:

"You only have to walk around the park on a Saturday to see how much sport is part of the Welsh psyche," she explained.

"Often though, we don't always appreciate sport's wider contribution - how sport can foster national pride and a feel good factor or bring about social cohesion to communities, for example. Its role in preventative health care is enormous yet it doesn't always get that recognition.

Sport - which is accessible to all, whatever age or ability - has a unique ability to deliver on the Government's One Wales agenda and this is something that we will be pressing over the next 12 months."

She is also keen to highlight what needs to be done to get all children in Wales hooked on sport:

"The Sports Council's young people agenda is crucial -we know that experiences at a young age are decisive when it comes to leading an active lifestyle into adulthood.

"Education has a vital role to play and the role of the teacher is paramount. Our PE & School Sport scheme is training teachers to deliver quality lessons. This means we're making sure that the experiences of children are much more positive than they may have been 10 or 20 years ago. But we still need to see further commitment to teacher training and to the teaching of PE."

McAllister has big ambitions for sport. Looking to other nations for inspiration, she highlights New Zealand, Norway and Finland as being top of their game. And she would like to see Wales aspire to this success:

"We all love to see top sportsmen and women succeed. I'd like to see Wales continue to do well and become the number one nation in the Commonwealth on a per capita basis (medals per head of population). It would be a huge achievement but it's important that we strive to beat the best and be the best.

"We already punch above our weight across a number of sports and we need to make sure that we work smartly to ensure that those elite athletes and teams that are capable of World class success are getting the very best support - whether it's sports science or the very best coaching we can offer."

Alun Ffred Jones, the Heritage Minister said, "This is a key appointment, not only for sport in Wales but for the state of the nation's health. Sport Wales has a key role in motivating people to be increasingly active and healthy and I want people to not only feel part of Wales' sporting achievements, but feel motivated to take up the challenge themselves and get active, whether it's joining a sports club or just walking or cycling instead of taking the car. I wish Laura all the best in her new role and the challenges ahead."