On Saturday our senior side begin their league campaign at home to Hopkinstown FC. It will be a fantastic occasion for everyone associated with the club. Whatever the outcome of the match, the season and the future of the football club, our first ever competitive fixture represents more than just a potential three points; it is the first step for our players to write their own story as their own club representing the town of Pontypridd.
On the eve of our debut campaign, on behalf of everyone at Pontypridd Football Club, I want to thank all our sponsors. Western Security Systems Limited, our first team kit sponsor, have been with us from the start. Their early commitment was integral to our pre-season preparations and we are proud to have a close partnership with a local, family-run business.
Our other sponsors Prichard’s, DM Recycling Services Limited, Natural UK and Rose & Crown have all provided support that has helped the club get off on a sound footing and provide security for the medium term. We are incredibly grateful for your support and we are delighted to be working alongside local businesses to promote local football in the community. Where you can, please support these companies in return.
The official kit supplier of Pontypridd Football Club is FJ’s Print Shop, based in Trallwn. We have built an excellent relationship with ‘Baggsy’ and as a business based in Pontypridd we are delighted to work with FJ’s Print Shop. We will continue to support businesses in the town as much as possible.
In some ways just getting to the point where we are about to start a league campaign feels like we’ve run a marathon. It has been a long and eventful summer and plenty of hard work has been going on behind the scenes. It hasn’t all been plain sailing. We started out with not a single penny to our name, we have had to contend with players signing and then moving to other clubs, as well as individuals outside the club seeking to disrupt our preparations.
We know some believe our club name is controversial or antagonistic, but our club philosophy is not about creating rivalries. As a club we are comprised of people who are proud to be from and part of the Pontypridd community; we want to carry the town’s name on our shirt and at the heart of our club is the vision of providing local players the opportunity to represent the town on the highest possible level. From the very start we have only tried to build friendships within the football community; we certainly do not bill ourselves as a rival to any other club, from within or outside Pontypridd. It is unfortunate that others see it a different way.
Players coming and going is part and parcel of grassroots football and while we have lost players to other clubs after initially signing with Pontypridd FC, we have always maintained we would never stand in the way of any player that wants to play at a higher level.
While some players have moved, on the flipside we have learnt who is really committed to the club. We have, at the moment, 20 senior players on our books and almost all of them have played some part during pre-season, several playing in every game. I want to thank every player for their commitment and loyalty. I believe we now have a good squad for the season ahead, a group of boys who are honest with each other and embody excellent camaraderie and team spirit. This is what our club aspires to be about; this group will be fantastic torch bearers for our club.
I want to recognise our under 13s, a really fantastic group of youngsters who are as integral to the football club as the seniors; we hope many, if not all, go on be part of the first team in the future. This summer they carried out a superb fundraising campaign, which included walking to the top of Pen-Y-Fan. That was a lovely day out for the club, bringing together the under 13s, parents, senior side and members of the club committee. It was a pleasure to see that togetherness and I want to congratulate the under 13s for raising funds to cover their kit for the season. They can really wear their shirts with pride when they play their first match this week.
I wish to thank the wider football community for their assistance over the summer, especially those clubs we have played in friendlies. Every game has been a learning experience, most of them played against sides from higher levels, including a couple of Welsh League sides. Although we haven’t got the results we hoped for, the boys have generally competed well and hopefully the lessons learnt will serve the team well over the course of the league campaign.
A special mention must be made for AFC Porth and their secretary Huw Jones. They have been genuine friends of Pontypridd FC from the very start, playing us in our first ever game last month. Their support has been welcome, but most of all the respect they have shown our club despite the gulf in status. We wish them the best of luck in their Welsh League campaign and look forward to our meeting next summer when hopefully the Kinsman-Hacker Cup will begin an annual stay in Ponty.
The last thing to do is to wish our first team and under 13s the best fortune this season. I am confident we can achieve our targets. We play our home games in the town, so if you are a fan of local football in Pontypridd you are more than welcome to join us home or away and we look forward to your company this season.
Nigel Wheeler
Chairman, Pontypridd FC
