Cymru Premier: TNS chairman Mike Harris hopes for fully professional league

Mike Harris (right) with New Saints head coach Anthony Limbrick

Mike Harris, chairman of Cymru Premier champions The New Saints, wants to see the league become fully professional.

Next month marks 30 years since the league began and Saints are the most successful side with 14 titles.

Saints are currently the only side who are full time but Harris believes with sufficient funding from the Football Association of Wales (FAW), the division could be fully professional.

"I'd love to see the league full time," Harris told BBC Sport Wales.

"Change for nothing is not worth changing and I'm a big believer that any change from here has to be backed by financial plans from the FAW.

"I know the league has shrunk and in an ideal world you don't play everybody three or four times a season.

"If the talent is spread out too thin then you can't compete in Europe, because that's one source of cash - if it's too narrow the fans don't like it.

"But ultimately if the FAW could find say, a TV deal for £1m and a sponsor for £1.5m, you could insist at least eight teams were full time.

"Without full time there's no chance I would ever support any change to the league.

"Twelve seems to be a good league, not as good as it would be if it was 16 or 18, but at least there's enough money to bring good football."

TNS celebrate winning the league in 2006 when they were based at Llansantffraid

Barry Town. Neath Connah's Quay are the only other clubs who have - at one stage - operated on a full-time basis during the league's 30-year history.

FAW chief executive Noel Mooney has said a review of the Cymru Premier, which currently has 12 clubs, will be held and that a "roadmap" will be created for the league.

A switch to summer football has often been suggested for the league but Harris would be against altering the calendar, saying "it's not the way forward."

Harris' involvement began in 1997 with a sponsorship deal which saw his company, Total Network Solutions, become the new name of village side Llansantffraid.

TNS merged with fellow League of Wales side Oswestry Town in 2003 and the club have been based in the Shropshire town since then, winning 29 trophies.

Harris' ultimate ambition would be for the club to reach the Champions League group stages.

Saints lost 2-1 on aggregate to Northern Ireland's Linfield in this season's qualifiers and drop into the Europa Conference League as a result.

"Getting to the group stage is very, very difficult in the Champions League," Harris said.

"But I believe getting into the group stages of one of the three competitions is well within our grasp in the next two or three seasons.

"Our ability to compete off the pitch is growing but if you also look at what we're doing within our academy, we're attracting the best young kids in the local area.

"We're hoping to find a new site in Oswestry to build a new ground with hopefully 10,000 seats.

"My business in America is going very, very well and I intend to invest heavily in the New Saints to achieve those goals."

Listen to the interview in full and a discussion on 30 years of the Cymru Premier on Radio Wales Sport - Friday, 15 July from 19:00 BST