Gareth was still very young when he started DJC, just 20 years old! He started training aged six under Sensei Richard Canterbury at Dean Judo Club (operated out of St Joseph's High School).  Unfortunately, in 1998, that club closed down and his father worked with Master Gary Gassor to start Maindee Judo Club that operated out of the Martial Arts and Fitness Centre.  In 2000, Gareth achieved his junior black belt at 12 years old (I was a little livewire!) that was permitted under our guidance and regulations at the time. However, just as Gareth was pushing to the next levels, his father had a knee injury that would end up changing both their careers. Sensei Steven Morgan's knee injury practically put a huge stop on his own progress and Gareth, along with some other senior students of the time, had to revert to a coaching role to support the club. 

Fast forward a few years and Gareth's younger brother David started his own journey, also starting aged six. David was determined to beat his older brother and achieved his own junior black belt aged 12 (beat me by a few months!).

In 2015, Gareth decided to expand the club from a competitive aspect and reached out to Welsh Judo to have his grade (3rd dan) affiliated and allow DJC to join Welsh Judo. Sensei Andrew Burt was Gareth's first real link with Welsh Judo and was instrumental in us building relations and reaching the point that we're at today.

Gareth achieved his UKCC level 2 coaching qualification in 2015 and was lucky to share the course with some modern names such as huge Welsh sensation, Natalie Powell.  

Both the club and Gareth have grown since joining Welsh Judo. Gareth has managed to share mat time with some legends in the game and in 2018 became Welsh Champion in the u81kg category. Coming from a technical background with limited competition experience, this was a huge milestone for him. This exposed him to some of the competitive aspects of the sport so that he could pass on what he has learned and provide the support for future students.  Whatever way they want to take their Judo.  It also helped him forge new relations with other Welsh Judoka and coaches that are still strong to this day. The club itself consistently entered competitions prior to the Covid-19 pandemic and even had a student make the Welsh squad and represent Wales in an international competition in Belgium. Both Gareth and students have travelled Wales competing and coaching at competitions of various levels. 

Gareth continues to push and drive his Judo journey forward, both for himself and his club. in 2019, (perhaps the highlight of my career), he managed to meet and train with the late Toshihiko Koga at the International Pacific University in Okayama. A real honour.