Sport Wales has pledged to double the number of active coaches and volunteers in the country by 2016.

The ambitious target, which would increase the number of coaches to 250,000 (10 per cent of all adults in Wales), was announced as part of Sport Wales' new six-year Coaching Strategy.

The strategy is backed by the Welsh Assembly and also outlines proposals to ensure all voluntary coaches will receive appropriate training and that their performance will be evaluated.

The details of the strategy were announced by heritage minister Alun Ffred Jones AM at a ceremony at Plas Menai National Watersports Centre in Caernarfon.

Jones said: "Coaches and volunteers are vital across all sports. They really make a difference and there's no doubt we need more in Wales.

"We must ensure that our coaches are properly qualified and that they can work with children as well as elite athletes; through both our national languages and in all of our communities across Wales."

Laura McAllister, chair of Sport Wales, said: "We need more coaches and volunteers. Five percent is good but if we want every child hooked on sport then this is not good enough. We need to be great.

"It's not just a quantity issue either. We have to ensure that coaches are being deployed in the right areas and that we are retaining them in the system. Crucially we need to support their ongoing development and foster a culture that recognises and values the great work of coaches and volunteers in sport."

The Coaching Strategy supports Sport Wales' Elite Sports Strategy, launched in June, which set ambitious medal targets for the next six years. It also complements the Assembly Government's Creating an Active Wales and the UK Coaching Framework, which both support the push for more and better coaches.