Cambrian & Clydach Vale BGC has unveiled its new 60-seater stand as the club sets its sights on joining the top tier of Welsh domestic football – the JD Cymru Premier League.
The stand, which has been installed over the last few months, is positioned at the southern end of the pitch and will bring the total seats at the club to 500. It is one of the many actions the club is driving to improve the existing facilities at Cambrian & Clydach Vale BGC, also known as the #CamArmy, which are designed to meet standards introduced by the Football Association of Wales (FAW). If they can achieve their goal, the #CamArmy will become the first club from Rhondda Cynon Taff to play in the updated pyramid structure.
This new stand has been possible after £13,000 of funding was received from local energy company, Pennant Walters.
Cambrian & Clydach Vale BGC Chairman, Kevin Jones, explains:
“We were officially the first football club within RCT to have a 3G facility and our ambitions have grown considerably since. We now have our sights firmly set on successfully achieving and sustaining a place at the top table of Welsh domestic football in the near future.
“We have a fantastic Academy set up, which is bringing through and developing young talent from across the local area, and further afield. This, coupled with the consolidation and completion of improving our facilities, will provide an integrated ‘sports village’ in Clydach Vale to serve both the immediate area and the broader community of RCT.
“This new stand is the last piece of the seating jigsaw puzzle, which means that we will comply with FAW Tier 1 criteria. We are hugely grateful to Pennant Walters for their continued support.”
Cambrian & Clydach Vale BGC, in partnership with the Cambrian Village Trust, continues to provide one of only a few FIFA 1 Star 3G pitches in RCT. The 3G facility is essential to the continued growth of the club and local and national clubs and colleges including, Cardiff City FC,Coleg Y Cymoedd, Ystrad Rhondda RFC and Cambrian RFC & Cambrian Colts, along with other sports clubs, use the facility on a daily basis.
Phil Williams, Board Member for Cambrian & Clydach Vale BGC, added:
“On average we have 1,500 people visiting the site weekly. Our Board has set out a strategic approach to achieving and funding a progression to help the football club achieve Welsh Premier League status and it is through the continued development of facilities, such as the new 60-seater stand, that we can attract sponsorship to help us successfully achieve just this.”
The funding provided by Pennant Walters is from a fund linked to two wind farms in the Gilfach Goch and Blackmill areas, Pant y Wal in the county of Bridgend, and Fforch Nest, which straddles the border of Bridgend and Rhondda Cynon Taf. The two sites have a total of 21 turbines producing 53 megawatts of clean electricity – enough to power the equivalent of 25,000 homes. It builds on previous donations which have seen the company provide money to support various community groups.
Dale Hart, Managing Director of Pennant Walters added:
“We are proud to support the ambitions of Cambrian & Clydach Vale BGC in achieving their FAW tier 1 status.
“For many years the club and its facilities have brought joy to many people locally and we are delighted that continues to grow.
“Our wind energy projects come with community funds that we use to invest in projects such as this and our aim is to bring very real benefits to the communities in the vicinity of our projects, providing financial assistance and expertise where we can. We wish the Club every success in the future and will be following its progress closely.”
