| Merthyr mothballed for the season 06:41 - Sep 29 with 1253 views | NotLoyal |
Merthyr Town Football club is to be "mothballed" for 2020-21
Merthyr Town Football club is to be "mothballed" for 2020-21 because of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Southern League Premier club has taken the decision to suspend playing until the start of next season.
Chairman Howard King told BBC Sport Wales the move had been made to avoid possible bankruptcy.
"We had to make a decision to carry on playing or stop for the long-term future of the club. It was not a decision we took lightly," he said.
"But it was for the benefit of the club."
Merthyr follow in the footsteps of Guernsey, who have pulled out of the Isthmian League for the 2020-21 campaign due to travel restrictions.
The Merthyr players have been told they are free to find other clubs, though manager Gavin Williams is being retained.
As Merthyr County Borough goes into lockdown from 18:00 BST on Tuesday, 22 September, King said: "We were left with little choice at our board meeting.
"We had to tell the Southern League before Saturday what we were going to do.
"If we stopped playing they would allow us back into the league next season.
"If we carried on playing, which the Welsh Assembly Government had said would be behind closed doors, we would have had to pay the players and coaches.
"By the middle of November we would have eaten into our reserves and the club would have been bankrupt."
The move by the Martyrs board will not affect their off-the field business activities at their Penydarren Park base.
The first game affected will be Tuesday's scheduled FA Cup home clash with Poole Town, though that game was in doubt anyway.
Merthyr are fan-owned, having battled back to regain their Southern League status following liquidation.
As Merthyr Tydfil FC they won the Welsh Cup for the third time in 1987 before achieving one of the most famous Welsh club triumphs in European competition- their 2-1 victory over Italian club Atalanta in the European Cup Winners Cup first leg at Penydarren Park in September that year. |  |
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| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 07:24 - Sep 29 with 1231 views | ItchySphincter |
Didn’t seem like they had much choice. I hope they do find a way to start up again but it will be tough, might be lights out. |  |
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| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 07:32 - Sep 29 with 1227 views | Kilkennyjack |
| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 07:24 - Sep 29 by ItchySphincter |
Didn’t seem like they had much choice. I hope they do find a way to start up again but it will be tough, might be lights out. |
The should join the Cymru league.
Never going to be a football league club.
Nobody cares about their latest result at Poole or wherever. Meaningless football.
Win the Cymru league, if they can, and get to play in Europe. |  |
| Beware of the Risen People
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| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 10:49 - Sep 29 with 1159 views | TrefynwySwan |
| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 07:32 - Sep 29 by Kilkennyjack |
The should join the Cymru league.
Never going to be a football league club.
Nobody cares about their latest result at Poole or wherever. Meaningless football.
Win the Cymru league, if they can, and get to play in Europe. |
I usually enjoy reading your posts Kilk, and agree with the majority of what you say, but got to disagree with this.
The town of Merthyr has a long and proud history of football, including membership of the Football League, Welsh Cup wins when it was a proper competition, famous players, European football and FA Cup adventures, which the supporters of the club certainly care about by the way. Since the invention of the League of Wales the club and it’s supporters have been treated with contempt by some in the FAW. Most notably was the enforced exile (a fate shared with Newport and Colwyn Bay at various stages). My understanding was that this was considered again in recent weeks but was ultimately not financially achievable, contributing to the mothballing decision
Remember the arguement of forcing a club to play in a national competition that it, and it’s supporters have never historically been involved in could certainly have been applied to Newport a few years back and could also apply to the Swans, our ‘neighbours’ and our North Wales cousins. |  | | |
| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 11:39 - Sep 29 with 1133 views | swancity |
| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 07:32 - Sep 29 by Kilkennyjack |
The should join the Cymru league.
Never going to be a football league club.
Nobody cares about their latest result at Poole or wherever. Meaningless football.
Win the Cymru league, if they can, and get to play in Europe. |
No they shouldn’t
The Welsh Premier League will cease to exist within five years imo and the whole welsh league set up will revert to its regions as before and that’s how it should be, as without Swansea Cardiff Wrexham Newport Merthyr Colwyn Bay it’s not a “ Premier “ league anyway
Are you saying that Wrexham also should join the Welsh League then ?
Merthyr have a great tradition, may be not recently but back in the late1980s they were better than a certain Swansea City for example | |
| Only an idiot would eat a turkey curry on Christmas day |
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| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 12:13 - Sep 29 with 1110 views | ReslovenSwan1 |
| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 10:49 - Sep 29 by TrefynwySwan |
I usually enjoy reading your posts Kilk, and agree with the majority of what you say, but got to disagree with this.
The town of Merthyr has a long and proud history of football, including membership of the Football League, Welsh Cup wins when it was a proper competition, famous players, European football and FA Cup adventures, which the supporters of the club certainly care about by the way. Since the invention of the League of Wales the club and it’s supporters have been treated with contempt by some in the FAW. Most notably was the enforced exile (a fate shared with Newport and Colwyn Bay at various stages). My understanding was that this was considered again in recent weeks but was ultimately not financially achievable, contributing to the mothballing decision
Remember the arguement of forcing a club to play in a national competition that it, and it’s supporters have never historically been involved in could certainly have been applied to Newport a few years back and could also apply to the Swans, our ‘neighbours’ and our North Wales cousins. |
Colwyn Bay have bitten the dust. The travel expenses for their assortment of Scoucers and Mancunians was too much to bear. All pretty pointless if you ask me. Rhyl has also been wound up having made the transition a decade or so ago.
Merthyr swings in and out of crisis for decades and joining the EPL is beyond them. I am not sure how easy it is for a Welsh phoenix club to get re elected in t the English system. Merthyr have obviously done it before. Merthyr will come to the natural decision to join the FAW system in their own time. The grinding travel to Boston and Gateshead will eventually take its toll on working players and budgets.
The FAW hve helped them in the past putting a u21 game on there. It all went awry when a Wales u21 game had the rare event of being televised. The Sky TV lorry could not get anywhere near the ground due to the narrow street access. |  |
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| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 13:09 - Sep 29 with 1074 views | Badlands |
| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 07:32 - Sep 29 by Kilkennyjack |
The should join the Cymru league.
Never going to be a football league club.
Nobody cares about their latest result at Poole or wherever. Meaningless football.
Win the Cymru league, if they can, and get to play in Europe. |
The Cymru Premier would be on par with Scotland (excluding Rangers and Celtic) if the likes of Merthyr, Barry, Rhys, (Chester!), Wrexham were paling in Wales.
They and we may have to following independence  |  |
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| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 14:55 - Sep 29 with 1031 views | ReslovenSwan1 |
| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 13:56 - Sep 29 by Chief |
Don't be silly.
How would likes of Bala, Newtown and Llandudno compete with Hearts, Hibs, Aberdeen amongst others. The SPL isn't a good standard but still an entirely different level to the LoW (which I watch regularly). [Post edited 29 Sep 2020 14:02]
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Conaughs Quay knocked out Kilmarnock of the SPL in the Europa cup in July. The FAW should concentrate the league and ensure good pitches and perdominatnly Welsh player where possible. A league of 10 elite teams associated with biggish towns TNS, Rhyl, Bangor Llanelli, Carmarthen, Bridgend Bari Newtown Aberystwith Haverfordwest / Conahs Quay Merthyr perhaps. Give them coacjhng and academy suppport to deveop local players. | |
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| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 15:41 - Sep 29 with 1008 views | Chief |
| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 14:55 - Sep 29 by ReslovenSwan1 |
Conaughs Quay knocked out Kilmarnock of the SPL in the Europa cup in July. The FAW should concentrate the league and ensure good pitches and perdominatnly Welsh player where possible. A league of 10 elite teams associated with biggish towns TNS, Rhyl, Bangor Llanelli, Carmarthen, Bridgend Bari Newtown Aberystwith Haverfordwest / Conahs Quay Merthyr perhaps. Give them coacjhng and academy suppport to deveop local players. |
So that's one result.Over the year's they'd be very one sided in Scotland's favour in other games. but these shocks happen now&again. In reality the chasm is quite large. Bottom of Scottish championship more comparable.
Not sure how you'd improve the standard really, difficult when there's only 1 (maybe 2) professional clubs. |  |
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| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 18:16 - Sep 29 with 950 views | blaenaugwentjack |
I was only recently talking to a person who follows Merthyr home and away, a few months ago. He stated that even before covid finances were not looking good at Merthyr and I think their captain and according to him their best player had left the club. He seemed to think that a financial upheaval was imminent. We both agreed that every five years of so Merthyr go into financial meltdown. I used to watch Merthyr quite frequently in the Lyn Jones era, this was their best chance of gaining football league status. We both agreed that the Cymru premier would eventually be their best avenue for future success. The Cymru premier,s crying out for a valleys side and Merthyr could be argued by some to take the Cymru premier to a higher level with the club's history and fanbase. | | | |
| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 18:21 - Sep 29 with 939 views | blaenaugwentjack |
| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 13:09 - Sep 29 by Badlands |
The Cymru Premier would be on par with Scotland (excluding Rangers and Celtic) if the likes of Merthyr, Barry, Rhys, (Chester!), Wrexham were paling in Wales.
They and we may have to following independence |
How have you come to that conclusion? So with your statement 're - independence, all British clubs after January 2021 will have to leave all European competitions? Independence? | | | |
| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 18:28 - Sep 29 with 938 views | Chief |
| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 18:16 - Sep 29 by blaenaugwentjack |
I was only recently talking to a person who follows Merthyr home and away, a few months ago. He stated that even before covid finances were not looking good at Merthyr and I think their captain and according to him their best player had left the club. He seemed to think that a financial upheaval was imminent. We both agreed that every five years of so Merthyr go into financial meltdown. I used to watch Merthyr quite frequently in the Lyn Jones era, this was their best chance of gaining football league status. We both agreed that the Cymru premier would eventually be their best avenue for future success. The Cymru premier,s crying out for a valleys side and Merthyr could be argued by some to take the Cymru premier to a higher level with the club's history and fanbase. |
Where they are though, it may seem far off but the dream of the football league is still possible, as is FA Cup qualification. I'd even suggest that getting to the national league&playing the likes of Wrexham, Chester, Barnet, Hartlepool, Hereford is a more exciting prospect than joining LoW once that novelty wears off. But if they can't afford to stay where they are better for them to survive. | |
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| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 19:12 - Sep 29 with 919 views | swancity |
| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 13:09 - Sep 29 by Badlands |
The Cymru Premier would be on par with Scotland (excluding Rangers and Celtic) if the likes of Merthyr, Barry, Rhys, (Chester!), Wrexham were paling in Wales.
They and we may have to following independence |
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| Only an idiot would eat a turkey curry on Christmas day |
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| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 20:14 - Sep 29 with 875 views | Kilkennyjack |
| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 10:49 - Sep 29 by TrefynwySwan |
I usually enjoy reading your posts Kilk, and agree with the majority of what you say, but got to disagree with this.
The town of Merthyr has a long and proud history of football, including membership of the Football League, Welsh Cup wins when it was a proper competition, famous players, European football and FA Cup adventures, which the supporters of the club certainly care about by the way. Since the invention of the League of Wales the club and it’s supporters have been treated with contempt by some in the FAW. Most notably was the enforced exile (a fate shared with Newport and Colwyn Bay at various stages). My understanding was that this was considered again in recent weeks but was ultimately not financially achievable, contributing to the mothballing decision
Remember the arguement of forcing a club to play in a national competition that it, and it’s supporters have never historically been involved in could certainly have been applied to Newport a few years back and could also apply to the Swans, our ‘neighbours’ and our North Wales cousins. |
Thanks for pulling me up.
I certainly agree nobody should be forced.
I deliberately said they should join - i should have added through choice.
You make many valid points about the clubs history.
Fully accepted.
I appears to me anyhow, that the Cymru Premiership would be less of a financial burden.
So thats helpful.
Then it comes down to realistic ambition.
For me they cant make the Football League without a Terry Matthews type of sponsor..
Others with more knowledge than me might feel differently.
I guess the flip side is what they could contribute to the Cymru Premiership and what they could get out of it. Barry vs Merthyr sounds a bit tasty to me.
Likewise Merthyr vs TNS.
And new European nights, looking forwards not backwards.
Dal dy dir brawd ðŸ´ó §ó ¢ó ·ó ¬ó ³ó ¿ | |
| Beware of the Risen People
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| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 21:23 - Sep 29 with 852 views | felixstowe_jack |
| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 11:39 - Sep 29 by swancity |
No they shouldn’t
The Welsh Premier League will cease to exist within five years imo and the whole welsh league set up will revert to its regions as before and that’s how it should be, as without Swansea Cardiff Wrexham Newport Merthyr Colwyn Bay it’s not a “ Premier “ league anyway
Are you saying that Wrexham also should join the Welsh League then ?
Merthyr have a great tradition, may be not recently but back in the late1980s they were better than a certain Swansea City for example |
Where they I seem to recall Swansea were football league side and merthyr were non league. | |
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| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 21:27 - Sep 29 with 848 views | felixstowe_jack |
| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 12:13 - Sep 29 by ReslovenSwan1 |
Colwyn Bay have bitten the dust. The travel expenses for their assortment of Scoucers and Mancunians was too much to bear. All pretty pointless if you ask me. Rhyl has also been wound up having made the transition a decade or so ago.
Merthyr swings in and out of crisis for decades and joining the EPL is beyond them. I am not sure how easy it is for a Welsh phoenix club to get re elected in t the English system. Merthyr have obviously done it before. Merthyr will come to the natural decision to join the FAW system in their own time. The grinding travel to Boston and Gateshead will eventually take its toll on working players and budgets.
The FAW hve helped them in the past putting a u21 game on there. It all went awry when a Wales u21 game had the rare event of being televised. The Sky TV lorry could not get anywhere near the ground due to the narrow street access. |
Strange the TV vans did not have any trouble televising then the European cup winners cup v Italian serie A team Atlanta.
Must be the luxury studios the sky TV presenters demand. | |
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| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 22:46 - Sep 29 with 828 views | blaenaugwentjack |
| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 20:14 - Sep 29 by Kilkennyjack |
Thanks for pulling me up.
I certainly agree nobody should be forced.
I deliberately said they should join - i should have added through choice.
You make many valid points about the clubs history.
Fully accepted.
I appears to me anyhow, that the Cymru Premiership would be less of a financial burden.
So thats helpful.
Then it comes down to realistic ambition.
For me they cant make the Football League without a Terry Matthews type of sponsor..
Others with more knowledge than me might feel differently.
I guess the flip side is what they could contribute to the Cymru Premiership and what they could get out of it. Barry vs Merthyr sounds a bit tasty to me.
Likewise Merthyr vs TNS.
And new European nights, looking forwards not backwards.
Dal dy dir brawd ðŸ´ó §ó ¢ó ·ó ¬ó ³ó ¿ |
Always a very intense rivalry between Merthyr and Barry back in the day. | | | |
| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 22:57 - Sep 29 with 815 views | NotLoyal |
| Merthyr mothballed for the season on 22:46 - Sep 29 by blaenaugwentjack |
Always a very intense rivalry between Merthyr and Barry back in the day. |
20 Cardiff baldies on each side thinking they are the mutts nuts, whilst 95% of the crowd think they are Muppets. They never got it, hence the reason why swans fans in both towns under the age of 25 are in the majority. | |
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