Cefn Druids add financial muscle to major expansion plans

Ambitious Cymru Premier League club Cefn Druids have added financial muscle to its plans for major expansion.

The Ancients have announced the appointment of two new directors, David Naylor and Ms Darrien Lowe.

Mr Naylor is a co-founder of leading Australian accountancy firm Chan & Naylor National Accounting Group. Set up in 1990, it has since grown into a multi-faceted property, business tax accounting and wealth advisory group with more than a dozen offices in major cities across Australia.

Now a non-executive director of the firm, Mr Naylor devotes much of his time to following the fortunes of Liverpool FC and acts as a commercial advisor to Chester-based Complete Sports Solutions Ltd, whose principal Jamie Digwood became a major shareholder in Cefn Druids last November.

Mr Naylor said: “I am excited to be joining the new team at Cefn Druids Football Club and its parent investment company, having been a fan of football for many years as a player and supporter.

“I am keen to offer my financial and commercial expertise to the new board. The structure and vision is something I am keen to be part of and as I visit the UK two or three times a year, Druids will now be a part of my UK business interests.”

Ms Lowe, financial director at Complete Sports Solutions, has a wealth of experience in the world of sports.

Her role is to assist in the expansion of Druids’ parent investment company, Irresistible Bravery, through acquisition and mergers and provide advice on long-term financial planning for the club.

Ms Lowe said: “I am a very driven person who, since I became a chartered accountant, have worked on several projects with Complete Sports Solutions.

“The Cefn Druids model fits nicely with the company’s investment in our Elite High Performance facility in Portugal which again is based around the model for elite football players and sports stars.”

Welcoming the two new appointees, Cefn Druids director Des Williams said: “We are building a team within the club to establish firm foundations for growth and sustainability.

“Sustainability has always been central to the core of our investment in the club and as we’ve become more involved, we’ve realised there are several areas that need improving – this is one of them.”

Grassroots North Wales announced in November that Cefn Druids, one of the oldest football clubs in Wales, had secured major financial investment with the intention of joining the big guns at the top of the Cymru Premier.

The sponsors, Global Travel Worldwide in Wrexham and Complete Sports Solutions in Chester, have combined their financial resources with the sole aim of taking the club into European competition on a yearly basis, developing players from the academy to play at the highest level and restoring the great Druids name and tradition in welsh football.

Druids are having a good season, currently pushing hard for a top six place in the second phase of the Cymru Premier campaign.