Promoted sides 'tremendous boost' for Cymru Premier

Colwyn Bay players celebrate their Cymru North title wins with their supporters

Two clubs that currently attract the biggest attendances in Welsh domestic football will be a "tremendous boost" for the Cymru Premier.

Having won their regional leagues this season, namely the Cymru North and Cymru South, Colwyn Bay and Barry will replace Airbus and Flint in the top-flight for 2023-24.

Wrexham have claimed much of the football spotlight following their success in reaching the English Football League for the first time in 15 years.

Further along the north Wales coast, Colwyn Bay are celebrating promotion success of their own.

The club were members of the National League North, a league below the National League which Wrexham won this season, as recently as 2015, but decided in 2019 to transfer to the Welsh pyramid following 35 years of playing in the English system.

Colwyn Bay attracted an average crowd of 720 to their home games this season, with an average of 575 attending Barry matches, higher than even the most popular club in the premier league, where Caernarfon Town averaged 478.

The 2022-23 season saw an average of 305 supporters attend games in the Cymru Premier, which remains among the lowest in Europe.

"It's been another crisis season as far as poor attendances are concerned," said S4C Sgorio commentator and broadcaster Nic Parry.

"There are many positive things about the Cymru Premier... what is not positive are the attendance figures and they've been extremely poor again this season.

"The solution to that is big names who are well supported, that has a knock on effect.

"And there's no doubt that what the League needs are the big names back."

Referring to any potential switch by current Southern League club Merthyr Town and future promotions for phoenix clubs Bangor 1876 and Rhyl 1879, Nic Parry added: "Teams that have big followings generate interest.

"But they should not to be allowed back because of who they are, they are to be allowed back because, as Colwyn Bay have done, they've fought their way and beaten other good teams to get there, and Barry have done the same.

Barry Town supporters celebrate the club's Cymru South title win

"But there's no doubt that it must be of assistance to the Cymru Premier to have these well-supported clubs as part of the structure."

One of four clubs to refuse the FAW's order to join the then-League of Wales in 1992, the Seagulls were forced play their home games in Northwich and then Ellesmere Port before winning a High Court case along with Newport and Caernarfon.

Therefore it came as a surprise to many when Colwyn Bay announced an intention to re-join the Welsh pyramid in 2019.

Dilwyn Roberts, secretary and director of Colwyn Bay FC, said that the response since returning to Wales "had been wholly positive".

"When we made the decision to come back [to Wales] there was a slight split within the club," he told Cymru Fyw.

"But to be honest the crowds have more than tripled, the town is behind us and the players have been great.

"The board of directors are very happy with the progress we have made."

While Bay have achieved success on the field, off the field work on a new 1,000 seater stand at their Llanelian Road home is nearing completion, which will meet the threshold to host some games in Uefa competitions.

"In England we were in the seventh tier in the end, but the travel was terrible and the fans didn't come along in the same numbers," Roberts added.

"But since coming back it's amazing what has happened to us. We hope that being in the Cymru Premier will bring more local people here, we hope, at least, to maintain the same numbers."

Despite the disappointment of relegation from the Cymru Premier in 2022, Barry Town won the Cymru South at their first attempt.

One of Barry's staunchest supporters, Ian Johnson, said that crowds were now bigger than they were during the club's golden age when they dominated the domestic game in Wales.

"The club is bigger now than in the '90s," he said.

"At times the team on the field was successful, but perhaps more work was needed with the community... certainly the community now feels part of the club.

"In recent years Barry has had a successful women's team that plays in the premier league, and there are vets teams over 40s, over 50s and so on, and a walking football section and academy teams.

"There are also teams in the Barry and Vale league, so there is more contact with the community now than ever in our history, and this leads to more interest, better crowds now than in the past and more interest from the people on the terraces.

"There are links with the local schools to keep the momentum up and we use resources to target some specific games to attract bigger crowds to the club."

The Football Association of Wales (FAW) has undertaken a review of the league with the proposals expected to be unveiled in the summer.

Parry added: "Should we look at changing the system? One argument is playing over the summer where there's less competition... that's never been tried.

"Would that increase the attendances? We don't know because it's not been tested.

"The other option, of course, is to increase the number of clubs, because one of the common complaints is that it's boring to have your side playing the same sides again and again.

"The solution to that is to have more than 12 clubs. But then the danger of that is that it affects the standard because simply having more clubs doesn't mean it's a stronger league,

"But there's no doubt about it, Barry and Colwyn Bay are likely to be able to hold their own, and so that really is a positive."