‘Football-mad’ 11-year-old Olivia Jones from Brecon has been picked for the South Powys under-12 girls squad.

After impressing coaches at a trial in Brecon and a second invite-only trial in Newtown, Olivia earned her place in the South Powys team.

Olivia currently plays for Brecon Town FC’s under-12 girls team, coached by Billy Brown.

Speaking about her passion for football, Olivia’s parents, Craig and Kris said: “She has been into football forever. She lives, sleeps and breathes football. She lives in football kit - she doesn’t have any normal clothes - she just goes everywhere in football kit!”

Speaking about her selection to the South Powys team, they said: “When she heard the news that she was selected for the squad she was absolutely beaming - super excited.

“We are really proud of her. She works really hard and it must have been a big thing for her to go. There was no one else from the club, no one else from the area, she didn’t know a single person and went all the way up to Newtown with girls she had never met, coaches she had never met, and people watching, knowing that she had to perform, and didn’t bat an eyelid. She went straight into it, held herself really well and got really positive feedback from the coaches.”

“I think it’s quite a big thing for a young child to go and do that in an unknown environment, so me and Kris are really proud of her,” added Chris.

Olivia, now in Year 7 after having recently started in high school, plans to continue playing for Brecon Town FC while also training a couple of times a month with the South Powys team.

“I think she would train every night if she could!” added Craig and Kris.