Glyn Williams - my life in angling

Working life

Glyn's working life began in 1962 as an apprentice at a Worksop engineering company, progressing through various departments as a welder, fabricator, fitter and turner before moving into management roles. In 1976, Glyn became an engineering lecturer at the North Nottinghamshire College of Further Education.

Other sporting passions

Having first fished at the age of ten, Glyn's been an active angler for over 60 years. Less well known was his committee work for the former Worksop and District Junior Football League, serving them as secretary, treasurer and chairman. He was also a former committee member of the Worksop Football Association, gaining a Football Coaching Instructors Certificate in 1982. He then enjoyed success as a junior team manager with East Midland United Football Club and with Thorpe Salvin.

Angling journalist

Glyn first made his name as angling correspondent for the Worksop Guardian, writing a weekly angling column. He was also one of the many angling correspondents who contributed to websites throughout South Yorkshire and in the East Midland regions.

Witham Joint

In October 1992 Glyn was elected to represent Worksop & District Angling Association (WDAA) as a committee member of the Witham & District Joint Anglers Federation (W&DJAF). In 1996 he was appointed as their match booking secretary, working alongside secretary Stewart Oxborough for eight years.

W&DJAF, formerly the Witham Joint Angling Council (WJAC) was first established in 1914. It comprised of numerous angling federations and associations which over the years included: Boston & District Angling Association, Chesterfield Angling Association, Doncaster and District Angling Association, Grantham & District Angling Association, Grimsby & District Angling Association – Hull & District Angling Association, Lincoln & District Angling Association, Rotherham & District Angling Association, Scunthorpe & District Angling Association, Sheffield Amalgamated Angling Association, Sheffield & District Angling Association, Worksop & District Angling Association and in their hey-day boasted a combined membership of nearly 30,000.

Major water holdings

These organisations controlled many angling venues. Collectively under the W&DJAF banner they leased waters from the Environment Agency and the former British Waterways. These venues included the Fossdyke, Sincil Drain, the navigable River Witham, River Bain, Louth Canal and the Grantham Canal to name but a few.

The Worksop years

Glyn volunteered and dedicated his spare time to WDAA. He remains one of their three vice presidents. His service started as a committee member and club water bailiff. In 1992, he was appointed secretary/treasurer after the sudden and unfortunate death of previous secretary Gerald Rollinson. For 17 years Glyn was secretary of the Anchor Inn/Golden Ball Angling Clubs in Worksop and a long serving secretary of the Grafton Angling Association.

Junior education officer

Glyn stood down as WDAA secretary in 1994, taking up the role the of the association's junior education officer. He organised a variety of angling competitions, benefitting many young anglers throughout Nottinghamshire including a Junior Angling Triathlon Competition that catered for anglers between the ages of 10 to 16 years, all of whom learned their angling skills on a lake, river and canal. Over a five year period he raised and distributed more than £30,000 worth of fishing tackle prizes to those youngsters taking part in this ‘three match' annual event.

Cadets and angling coaching

He was also responsible for the formation of the association's cadet section for 10 to 13-year-olds as well as the creation of the intermediate section for teenagers aged 16 to 19. Worksop became a formidable force when competing in the national angling competitions. Watch out for a future blog on that subject.

Awards galore

In 1998 Glyn received the NFA's Gerald Rollinson memorial award from East Midland Regional Secretary, David Kent. It was an honour he also repeated in 2000.

In 1999, Glyn received the NFA National Meritorious Award for services to angling from NFA President Ken Ball.

Later that year, he received the Life Membership Award of WDAA, the South Yorkshire and North Notts Alliance Life Membership Award. He also received an award from the Rotary Club of Worksop for special services of a professional and vocational nature within the community.

Using angling to fight drug abuse

In January 2000, Glyn was presented with the Administrator of the Year award at the annual Bassetlaw Sporting Awards Ceremony. Subsequently, Glyn worked closely with Bassetlaw Police helping them promote their community campaign - Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE). Glyn organised annual competitions, involving up to 70 youngsters from schools throughout Bassetlaw, to draw awareness of the dangers of getting involved with drugs and violence.

Coach educator

Glyn was appointed the senior coach and junior education officer for the NFA. Over the next eight years he went on to obtain numerous qualifications, becoming a coach educator – external assessor and external verifier for 1st4sport qualifications as well as becoming a Tutor for Sports Coach UK - delivering their Safeguarding and Protecting Children workshops to sporting organisations within a 100-mile radius of Worksop.

Sport England

In 2002, he was appointed by Sport England as the National Angling Development Officer for coarse angling, working full time with the angling governing body, the NFA, alongside two other development officers – Malcolm Hanson from the Salmon Trout Association and David Rowe from the National Federation of Sea Anglers, under the newly formed umbrella organisation called the Joint Angling Governing Body. It was at this stage that Level One (assistant coach) Qualification and the Level Two Qualifications became established within angling.

Educating the managers

During the 2003/2004 season Glyn even put the England International Management Team through their coaching qualifications. Mark Downes, Steve Sanders, Joe Roberts, Tom Pickering, Darren Cox, Kevin Dicks and Paul Dicks all achieved their Level Two Coaching Qualification, making them suitably qualified to meet the requirements and standards of the World and European Championship Organisation, The International Sport Fishing Confederation (CIPS).

Angling Development Board

In 2005 Glyn was appointed as the Angling Development Board coach development manager, developing angling projects throughout the country including the Open College Network accredited course called ‘Introduction to Angling and the Environment'. Through his own business, CP Learning and Development, he worked closely with 1st4sport Qualifications and Sports Coach UK and advised the Angling Development Board, helping them to achieve the Intermediate Standards in Child Protection within Sport, which was endorsed by the Child Protection in Sport Unit and by Sport England.

Talent Pathway

The last major project that Glyn helped implement before retirement was the Talent Pathway programme which gave young anglers nationwide the opportunity to be trained and mentored by international anglers to help them improve their angling skills and progress towards competitive angling at local, regional, national and international levels.

Canal & River Trust

Glyn officially retired from his full-time role in angling on the 31st December 2011. However, from 2012 to 2017 Glyn volunteered his services as fisheries representative on the Canal & River Trust Partnership – East Midlands Waterway. In 2012, Glyn was also invited to become a member of the Trust's National Angling Advisory Group (NAAG). Now officially retired from all involvement with angling, Glyn recently stated ‘I now feel like a fish out of water'.