Help Talgarth’s Joel “Mole” Weale Through His Recovery

Talgarth Football Club player Joel “Mole” Weale has suffered a severe double leg break – fracturing both his tibia and fibula – while playing against Presteigne Football Club, an injury that will require surgery and a long recovery away from work.

At 39 years old, Joel has been a huge part of Talgarth Football Club for many years and was likely playing in some of his final seasons for the club. In fact, Joel had originally pulled out of the fixture earlier in the day through illness, but later decided to lace up his boots and help the team out — a true Talgarth player through and through.

After the injury occurred, Joel faced a long and difficult wait of nearly three hours for an ambulance. Despite the seriousness of the situation, he showed incredible strength and composure, cracking jokes and keeping the mood as calm as possible for those around him.

Throughout that wait, Presteigne Football Club were absolutely incredible. Players, staff and people connected with the club did everything they could to help — bringing warm drinks, blankets and even hot water bottles from their homes to keep Joel comfortable while everyone waited for medical help to arrive. It was a brilliant example of what grassroots football is really about.

At one point Presteigne offered Joel a coffee to warm him up. True to form, he jokingly replied that he’d prefer a pint. Anyone who knows Mole will know he enjoys a pint after the game and is a hugely popular figure around Talgarth Football Club.

Players registered in Welsh football are covered by the personal accident insurance scheme through the Football Association of Wales, which can provide some support for injuries sustained while playing. However, any claim process can take time and is not guaranteed, particularly when it comes to covering loss of earnings. As Joel is self-employed, there may be a significant period where he is unable to work while he focuses on recovery.

The idea for this fundraiser actually came from Presteigne Football Club, who approached Talgarth with the suggestion of setting up a GoFundMe to help support Joel during his recovery. We at Talgarth were delighted to give it our full backing.

Because football isn’t just about the 90 minutes on the pitch.

It’s about the friendships you build and the community you become part of.

Joel doesn’t even know this fundraiser has been set up and would probably be a little embarrassed by it. But representatives from both Talgarth and Presteigne are now reaching out to the wider football family to see if anyone would like to “buy Mole a pint” — donating whatever they can to help him and his family through the recovery process.

Every contribution, no matter how small, will make a huge difference while Joel focuses on recovering from this serious injury and getting back on his feet.

We have set the target at £5,000 as we feel that it is a sensible amount to help towards the first couple months of no income while joel begins his rehabilitation. If more is raised even better.

Let's be honest, £5k doesnt go very far when you have all household bills to pay with nothing incoming.

Thank you to everyone across the football community for your support.