Bridgend football clubs could be set to merge

MacWhirther Welsh Football League Division one sides Bridgend Town and Bryntirion Athletic could be set to merge in order to pool their resources.

The issue has been discussed for a long period, with the proposal deadline set by Bridgend County Borough Council being January 30.

But Town chairman Colin Mawer told Mid Glamorgan Press Agency that a final decision can’t be expected soon, with discussions set to continue further.

“There’s a lot of criteria involved, lots of things envisaged, but it hasn’t got any further than previous media reports,” he said.

“People think that you sit down and talk these things through and they just happen but it’s not the case. We’ll continue as we are. We’re looking at the long-term scenario – it’s all about football in the area.”

Bryntirion Athletic chairman Emlyn Phillips had previously told Media Wales of the benefits such a merger could bring to the community.

He said: “If the merger goes ahead, the community benefits it would provide would be fantastic for the town of Bridgend.

“Bryntirion has always been proud of its community identity and a merger with Bridgend would give it further credence.”

The merged club would hope to play out of Bryntirion Park, with Bridgend Town providing finance to build a 3G artificial pitch and extend the clubhouse. Bridgend also hope to retain playing rights at their current Brewery Field base in the hope of staging Europa League fixtures in future.

Bridgend Town have been without a permanent home since selling their Coychurch Road base in 2007, and after initial plans to build a new home at Island Farm fell through, negotiations were opened with Bryntirion over a possible merger.