The Williams family's Welsh roots run deep, from Ammanford and Cardiff to Caernarfon and Cwmgors, and that heritage has shaped the sporting careers of their three sons. All three brothers grew up near London and came through the AFC Wimbledon football academy, but each has found a route into Welsh sport.
Morgan, the eldest at 21, is a professional footballer after representing Wales through the age groups, while younger brothers Thomas and Dylan have switched to rugby and are progressing through the Scarlets pathway as well as playing for Wales.
A family's Welsh pride
Their father, Geraint Williams, told WalesOnline: "Myself and my wife are both Welsh. My mum is from Ammanford and my dad is from Cardiff while Jane's mum is Caernarfon and her dad is from Cwmgors. So, there was always the option of our boys representing Wales one day."
All three were academy footballers at AFC Wimbledon. Geraint said: "I think if you asked Dylan and Thomas, our eldest Morgan was the best footballer. That's transpired in the fact that he has gone on to be a professional footballer. He joined the academy at age seven."
Morgan's football path
Morgan came off the bench for Wimbledon at Grimsby as an 18-year-old alongside Chris Gunter. He left Wimbledon and went to King's Lynn last year, and has now signed for Harrogate Town. The FAW contacted English academies about Welsh-qualified players when Morgan was 15, and he went to Dragon Park for a regional squad development programme. He has about 25 caps for Wales age-grade sides, playing in European qualifiers in France and Belgium.
Rugby switch for Thomas and Dylan
Thomas, 19, stayed in the AFC Wimbledon academy until 16, but rugby was always part of his sporting life. He played at Whitgift School and attended the Welsh Exiles programme at London Welsh. Former Wales head coach Gareth Jenkins spotted his potential after a Brecon game. Geraint said: "He said he hadn't played a lot of rugby so was therefore doing things a lot of the other boys weren't doing, but he also didn't know what a lot of the other boys were doing. He saw a rough diamond."
Thomas has played for Wales U20s and scored seven tries for Carmarthen Quins in Super Rygbi Cymru last season. Dylan, 16, an inside centre, had trials with Harlequins and Saracens but chose the Scarlets pathway. He was selected for the Wales Under-18 development camp last week, which included two 40-minute training matches against Scotland and Italy.
Choosing Wales over England
The brothers' decision comes as Welsh rugby grapples with keeping young talent. Both left Whitgift for Llandovery College. Geraint said: "There were quite a few people who raised their eyebrows at Thomas leaving, where he had been seen as a footballer who played rugby. They probably saw it as a strange decision but the reality is they are so happy in Wales because of the culture and the camaraderie across the sport in Wales is so positive."
He added: "OK, the facilities at Llandovery are a bit like a Rocky movie, but those boys work super hard and the rugby programme is excellent. They get up at 6am because they are in boarding school together. They go sprint training and they go to the gym in the evening. They push each other on and form those important bonds."
Geraint noted: "Tommy went to Llandovery at 73kg and a decent athlete, but he's 94kg now and faster than he's ever been. The system in Wales has turned him into an elite athlete. Our boys have developed far more than they would have done if they'd stayed in England."
