Sponsor
Welcome from The Chairman It gives me great pleasure to write my first programme notes as the new Chairman of Pontypridd Town Football Club. I would like to take the opportunity to thank Mr Phil Gibb, for his commitment, hard work and financial support for the club over many years. Thank you from us all at the Club. The Club has never been in such a strong position as it is today, and I’m excited about taking the reins and being a part of the future growth of football in Pontypridd. For those who may not know we have over 550 playing members at the Club and this number is growing. Our Men’s first team have only lost one League game all season and sit second, only one point behind first place. Currently in the JD Cymru South division, the Men are pushing for promotion to the top tier of Welsh Football next season, hoping to be in the JD Cymru Premier League, which would be a first for the men – so I’d like to wish the very best of luck to JJ, Gav, Savs, Staff, Coaches, and players – I know we can do this! Our Women’s team under the leadership of Fern Burrage-Male are already playing in the top tier of Welsh Football in the Genero Adran Premier League, something we as a Club are very proud of. The women usually play their home games on a Sunday around 2pm, so please feel free to visit and watch the best women’s football in Wales. The women’s team are in an exciting position within their league, and we would like to wish Fern and team good luck for the next few matches and the rest of the season. In addition to the men’s and women’s performance teams, we also offer a growing Academy and Junior Grassroots teams for both Boys and Girls. The ongoing development and success of these teams are vital if we are to succeed in growing a reputable Club over future years. Pontypridd Town looks to provide the local community with a club they can be proud of, and importantly improve the lives of so many through sport participation, benefiting both the emotional and physical wellbeing of all those who participate. I would also like to mention our amazing strategic partners - University of South Wales. USW has a strong sporting background back with fantastic facilities, and we are very fortunate to work closely with them. The University does so much for Welsh football, and they work very closely with both the Welsh Government and Welsh FA to ensure football continues to play a big future in Wales, with courses in coaching and research as an example. Behind every growing success story, there is always a good team, and I’m pleased to say the Board is no different. I would like to formally welcome recent additions in Kieran, Sarah and Fern to complement the already established board that includes Steve, Darren, and Gav. I would also like to say a special thank you to our Club President, Max James who approached me some months back to join the club. Thank you, Max, for all you do and please get well soon. These truly are very exciting times for the Club. My final thank you goes to you the supporters of both teams, travelling staff and players and of course our growing family of commercial partners. Without your support none of this would be possible for Pontypridd – thankyou. Turning to the game today, I must be honest and say the performances have far outweighed my own expectations and that’s a great credit to the Manager, his players and to everyone who works so hard to make sure they are fully prepared for every game they go into. The attitude around the Club since my arrival has been fantastic, yet nobody is getting carried away, despite our hunger for success. I think it’s a case of slow and steady progress over the next few years, necessary to ensure we build a club which is both constitutionally right and commercially viable. Enjoy the game – come on Ponty Dragons!
Paul Ragan Chairman
We welcome the Management, players and supporters of present League Champions Swansea University FC to the USW Sport Ground this afternoon with the expectation of an exciting game. Well, it was certainly good to get back to a game of football last Saturday when we drew 0 0 at Briton Ferry Llansawel FC against our close rivals. Although there are now only eleven games to go before the end of the season it is going to be a rather fragmented run of games arranged by the League. Our next game after today is away to Llantwit Major FC on the 12th February and then two weeks later we are away to Undy FC on the 26th February. We play our near neighbours Taffs Well away on the 4th March but until the end of the season we will be having a number of free weekends. This type of fixture arrangement does not help clubs. We are very pleased to welcome the following newly signed players to the club. They are ex Merthyr Town players Steve Cann gk, Ian Traylor fwd, Troy Greening ex Barry Town mf and Lewis Iles fwd from Cwmbran Celtic. We hope they all have a successful and enjoyable time with the club. We would also like to welcome our local Member of Parliament Alex Davies-Jones for her visit to our game and are very happy that she has shown an interest in our clubs progress. Also here today are Matt Epps, Gavin Taylor and Ian Fitzgerald and we hope they also enjoy the game. Finally we hope everybody has a safe journey home but remember that we go to the Pottery over the road after the game if you wish to join us.
O F F I C I A L
B A L L
S U P P L I E R
Macron Store Llanelli - info@macronstorellanelli.com • 07800 634 264 [Ray] Macrone Store Neath - sales@macronstoreneath.co.uk • 01792 321 364 [Ray] Macron Store Ebbw Vale - sales@macronstoreebbwvale.co.uk • 07800 903 724 [Matt] Macron Store Cardiff - sales@macronstorecardiff.com • 02920 811 053 [Amanda] Macron Store Wrexham - info@macronstorewrexham.co.uk • 01978 355 794 [Andy]
our visitors - history Swansea University FC Club History Swansea University has a Welsh League heritage dating back to the 1960s, when under its previous guise as the University College Swansea played at the highest level of Welsh football for nearly 2 decades. The University first entered the Welsh League in the 1966/67 season and incredibly won Division 2 in our first season, sealing promotion to Division 1 at the first time of asking. At that time there were also 3 divisions, the Premier Division, Division 1 and Division 2. The students of Swansea continued to impress in the 1967/68 season by finishing runners up in Division 1 to seal promotion to the Premier Division in just 2 seasons – a meteoric rise in similar fashion to the modern day Swansea University team. Unfortunately the club’s stay in the Welsh League Premier Division was short lived, and they were relegated at the end of the 68/69 season but bounced back the following season as Champions of Division 1. Following another relegation in 1971/72, Swansea University stabilised in Division 1 until 1978, when they suffered a drop into Division 2. The club competed in the third tier of the Welsh League until 1985, when sadly it fell out of the league leading to a 32 year exodus which ended in 2017 with the return of the University to higher levels of the Welsh football pyramid. The Swansea University team of yesteryear prospered and offered a platform for Swansea students to enjoy a high level of football whilst studying in South West Wales. These guiding principles underpinned the resurrection of league football at Swansea University in 2011. Team Swansea was started by a group of forward looking students, but not even the founding members could have predicted the second meteoric rise of the University team which has seen it return to the Welsh League.
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our visitors - history continued Only in its 6th season, the club is still in its infancy but has had its fair share of silverware in that time. 3 promotions, 2 Gwalia cups, 1 Senior Cup and an unforgettable 10-0 win in the final of the West Wales Cup in 2015. The pinnacle of the club’s achievement was sealing the Swansea League championship and West Wales Cup double in May 2017. Swansea University secured the historic return to the Welsh League in a winner takes all Welsh League play off against Neath League champions Cwm Wanderers. The All whites ran out 6-0 winners on the day to cap a fantastic season. The first season back in the Welsh League in the 17/18 campaign was a stunning success. Promotion to Division 2 was sealed with 3 games to spare as the University clinched the Welsh League Division 3 title with an emphatic 4-0 win away at Caerau FC in Maesteg. To cap off a fine season of football, the club not only won the title by playing some remarkable football, they also claimed the WL Division 3 FAW Fair Play Award, proving that it is possible to win with style, grace and outstanding discipline.
swansea university fc
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Amazing effort from our junior girls, development and women’s senior team with RCT Santa’s appeal! What an amazing effort from everyone this week supporting the Rhondda Cynon Taf Council Santa Appeal 2021 ! Making a difference to so many children within our own community at what can be a tough time of year for so many. A united front from our junior girls, development team and women’s senior team !
FOOTBALL A5 ad (3mm bleed) No OD.qxp_Layout 1 12/08/2019 12:24 Page 1
The University of South Wales has a strong sporting background, an excellent reputation for sport degrees, and impressive facilities for training and study. Our brand-new, full-size indoor 3G pitch is built to FIFA Pro and World Rugby 22 standard, and guarantees training all year round for our football, rugby and coaching students. The pitch will be your classroom for three years, and it’s also the base for the Wales women’s international football team and Cardiff City FC Academy.
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From grass roots, to elite level, the University of South Wales has a strong pedigree in football. Our courses have partnerships with a host of professional bodies, including Cardiff City Football Club, Football Association Wales Trust and the English Football League Trust.
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