Or is it bad journalism? http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/Winding-order-presented-Llanelli-AFC/story-16735072-detail/story.html
yes its sad, we have already lost one big LOW club in neath so if llanelli goes then this part of south wales are suffering at our success. Its a shame really and no coincidence that since we have got to the premiership that two of our closest neighbors are losing revenue. I have seen both teams play over the years if the swans are not playing at home and enjoyed the football. I suppose when you pay none league players like in trundles case over a thousand pounds a week then you will get into trouble....Maybe all the LOW clubs should revert back to amateur status and just pay expenses and win bonuses than trying to compete with the football league.. it will be sad if llanelli go to the wall like neath...
When Ronnie Corbett is fronting the start of the new Welsh League, then you know the FAW are in deep stuff/ having a larf. Clubs like Neath and Llanelli still have a bit roll to play as feeder clubs for the Welsh team of the future. The FAW need to have a big re-think as their constant alienation of us/Cardiff is costing them big.
I agree Swim, the FAW are tits. It would bring extra revenue if they allowed us and Cardiff to put in reserve teams. Without being direspectful I'm sure the fans of the LOW clubs would appreciate seeing our players playing at their ground rather than what they have been getting.
It would be helpful if we could field a b team to play in the LOW, and Cardiff for that matter. It's not just Llanelli and Neath going under there are others, wasn't it Merthyr that went as well and were begging fans to come there ? Then we had Barry Town who went tits up. We have only just got Newport back into a position to possibly regain a league position. It's down to the FAW and their absurd policies in my opinion
I agree with the abdurd FAW policies, but would much rather see our guys play in the Prem reserve league rather than clouted by part-time wannabees trying to make a name for themeselves. theres no way UEFA would allow us to enter reserves into the Welsh Cup due to the potential of us fielding full strength side if/when we qualified for Europe. The only answer I can see is for them to tout for more Welsh/Patagonian TV money (unlikely) or go leftfield and simply reduce the number of clubs (to pool talent and make a better product) or go West ,East, North Divisions (to limit the travel expenses), then implement a salary cap and limit on non-Welsh players unless they are affiliated to a higher league Welsh club. The FAW also need to give some financial clout/aid to the Welsh team qualifying for Europe as it is a poisoned chalice to them travel wise.
FAW protectionism and banging the drum of footballing independence is to blame. Shocking standards equal poor crowds. End of. The sooner our teams amalgamate into the English leagues the better. How many top players are coming through the LOW ranks? It's an unmitigated failure.
Football in Wales is not in good shape, and the Welsh FA have a lot to answer for, but clubs like Neath and Llanelli have been unrealistic, in bringing in pro players, and paying above what the welsh league can afford, then there are issues of support due to the fact that the youth set ups are poor too, no shape, and simply very poorly run, though Llanelli are one of the better run clubs, but still very armature, in their setup! Doesn't surprise me at all...
I'm not sure we are in the premier league reserves now, we are div2 of the under21 league with Cardiff and other teams. That is why we are buying young players I think. If we are in the premier reserves, why are we cutting players down to 23 odd players ? In regards to the welsh leagues I suppose you are correct, but it's sad that this is happening on our doorsteps, surely our club can do something ?
Why not the FAW change it to an Olympic style league, when there is a limit on over 25 yr old players and an emphasis on playing football on the floor. You would see the grass roots truly grow then and clubs like ours/Cardiff/the rest of the league more likely to lend our under 21's/academy out. It is being used by the Welsh rugby team to a similar effect. People say I'm a dreamer .....
Sounds like the club doesn't understand basic economics, as seems to be the case with many football clubs. They spend more than they get in revenue, and that is bound to end in disaster at some point. The sooner clubs learn to live within their means the better.
the support is not there unfortunately just like all the other welsh clubs. we have gained support from both clubs over the last few years due to our success and with the W.F.A not allowing the league clubs to represent wales in Europe like they did before then the better clubs in wales like llanelli and neath have to do it and while its good for the players its a big drain on the very limited resources these clubs have.....the league of wales clubs ...well the better ones anyway need to join their English counterparts to increase the interest in football again as the LOW is a joke league run by people who would rather see clubs go to the wall than lose face that they were wrong in ditching the clubs who play in the English set up from cup games.....you cant blame people from llanelli and neath giving their money to watch the swans play a better standard of football and since we have been in the premiership it has got worse for these clubs. money is tight in this part of the world and most cant afford to support more than one club....
Its not just at welsh league level either although financially it doesn't have such an impact but local league football is suffering in as much that the Swansea senior league is getting smaller each season with more and more players content to follow the Swans than to play the game them selves .if we lose grass root level football the likely hood of a local lad getting picked up by the club will diminish .Pity about Llanelli if true though as it will only leave West End as a local (Swansea) club playing at a higher level as South Gower has returned to the Senior league after their failed attempt at Welsh league status
Swansea use to be the second biggest after sheffield in the amount of football teams playing saturday/sunday football a while ago. I dont know where we are now though
Dai, Not that long ago I read that the Swansea league was the largest in the country with over 5,000 people playing the game. Like you, I don't know where we stand now.
When I played I think their were five/six first team divisions and at least six or seven reserve team divisions and that was only on a Saturday. I think their was seven Sunday divisions as well. I was luck not being quite good enough for first team action, as I played at 12.45, bugger the shower afterwards and shoot off down the Vetch, just in time for kick off.
Dragon, you are spot on. There is zero call for either a pro or semi pro league in Wales. Fans are just not interested. how many people live in Llanelli maybe 20,00 at a guess ( just googled it and is showing 46000). Yet they are lucky to have a couple of hundred turn up. The same can be said for Neath (as per google population 45000). I know we are in the premier league, but they have been having theese crowds for years, long before we were successful. The clubs that have and are on the brink of going under have way over spent and only have themselves to blame. They have overspent on players chasing success, when they know there is pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. but yet they continue to spend. This is not new to Wales, clubs have chased the league for years only to end up out of buisbess. Barry Town, Cwmbran Town and even bangor were in the ****. It just seems that these teams will never learn.
You are forgetting Pontardawe Town (Welsh League Div One) Goytre United (Division One) Garden Village (Division Two) Briton Ferry Llansawel (Div Two) and Ammanford (Div two) - all "local" to Swansea I think. If you include Afan Lido (Welsh Prem) then even more are local The Welsh league is thriving as the players know its an excellent standard - the Reserve Divison standard exceeds that at either Swansea senior League or the Neath League with the Youth Division (U19) also a very high standard
"The Welsh league is thriving as the players know its an excellent standard " I'll have what you're smoking. What I've seen of it on TV has been very poor indeed and this is supported by what happens when they go into Europe. Dreadful. Thriving? Hardly. I'm not getting all superior as I think having smaller Welsh teams is good for Welsh football, but my own experience of the FAW is that we'd all be better off without them. Imo if the Welsh clubs integrated into the English leagues that would drive up standards and they'd have something real to aim for. Look at Crawley and other teams who have come from nowhere. Good standard, decent crowds - the LOW has neither.
