Dial M for Merthyr

Merthyr Town is a fan owned co-operative as everyone knows. We’re registered as a Community Sports Club in effect. We’ve visited this idea before in the pages of the fanzine but should we look to adopt a more continental approach to how we use Penydarren Park for the future? In essence we’re talking about becoming a sports club rather than solely concentrating on football. Clubs throughout Europe have a wider portfolio of activities available to their members and it’s true from Barcelona to Istanbul via Stockholm. The opportunities for members can be varied and eclectic and most would be out of our scope due to both capacity and facilities but should we be looking to attract other sports or hobbies to Penydarren Park to further enhance our position as the best community venue in the Valleys? If we use Galatasaray as an example, we’re not expecting to provide motorsport, water polo or swimming along Park Terrace but could we not use the new facility (why don’t we have a name for ...

Would you play petanque for Merthyr Town FC if we built a piste at Penydarren Park? Theatre End would be perfect if you know where it is. We could even play at the above piste one day against Hammarby FK in Stockholm.

We all know that Saturday feeling, something experienced by football fans up and down the country in a very different but at the same time in an all so familiar way. Whether it’s a flutter or two in the betting shop before heading to the club to see the lads before a home game or waking up early and grabbing the cans before a trip to an English town which you previously had no knowledge of to represent your town and its people in some sort of battle. Well, this was the usual routine for me season after season, until deciding to move to University in deep mid Wales, almost two years ago. After two years in the seaside town of Aberystwyth and meeting people from all over Cymru, and not forgetting the numerous nights out in Aber and even a few in Bangor and Caernarfon, it is hard to argue with the popular belief that “university is the best years of your life.” But, if there is one thing in life that gets worse after moving to uni, then it’s the Saturday. A day that has always se...

To be honest it's been a tedious season for me. Endless chatter about the new clubhouse. Delays. A different pre-match countdown to each game. The Grawen, The Park View, The Winchester and even the Express on one grim afternoon. You tend to forget how much of a routine watching the Martyrs becomes over the years, people have their own journey to Penydarren Park especially on a Saturday. A bag of cockles, the Morning Star and a Lucky 15 on the horses is my starting point but this campaign I've not had the Candac as a destination. True, I've had a few decent pints in the Winch, enjoyed the juke box in the Park View and fielded questions in the Grawen but it's not the same as the comfort of our own clubhouse. Have I mentioned the delays yet? The gallows humour that runs beneath the surface of every conversation in Merthyr emerged every weekend. The lack of information on the project a constant source of frustration to supporters who had bought into the fan-owned philosophy...