10 reasons why Rhyl FC are worth saving – please join the fight to keep this great club alive

Rhyl Football Club is in genuine danger of going under – and it desperately needs your help.

The Lilywhites need to raise £20,000 to protect its immediate future and a new buyer to safeguard it in the longer term.

One of the most famous clubs in Wales, Rhyl FC was formed in 1879 and became a limited liability company in 1991.

The Lilies have played at Belle Vue since 1900. It has attempted many times to buy the ground since the start of the 1990s, but owner David Butters remains reluctant to sell or enter negotiations.

It could be that a new ground may be the way ahead for the future, but we are dealing with the now at present.

Rhyl FC has a thriving academy, plus under-19 and first teams.

The club, whose senior side currently plays in tier-two Cymru North, have won numerous honours over the years, the most prestigious being the Welsh Cup (four times), Cheshire County League (3) and Welsh Premier League (2).

However, the Lilywhites are now living on borrowed time.

Current fixed running costs are approximately £5,000 per month, and with little to no income foreseeable over the coming months due to the suspension of all playing and communal fundraising activities, which the club is heavily reliant on, there is a real possibility that it will all cease to exist.

The independent Rhyl Fans Association have taken to social media in an effort to raise essential funds.

They are already accepting seat sponsorshipand donations through its association treasurers account on Twitter & Facebook, and now they have started a GoFundMe page to remove any barriers for contributions towards their fight to save the club.

Please share the RFA’s Twitter page https://twitter.com/FansRhyl

The club also desperately need a new buyer.

Are there any interested business people out there who wish to save this great club and protect its future?

If you can help, please e-mail chairman Paul Higginson at sponsorship@rhylfc.co.uk

Here are just 10 Reasons Why Rhyl FC Deserve To Be Saved

1 It is one of the biggest non-league clubs in Welsh football history. Rhyl have won the Welsh Cup four times and the Cheshire County League on three occasions.

2 The club has won its national league, the Welsh Premier, on two occasions – 2003/04 and 2008/09.

3 Rhyl have been involved in SIX European campaigns, competing in the Champions League, Uefa Cup and Inter-Toto Cup, facing prestigious names like Partizan Belgrade, Viking Stavanger of Norway and Skonto Riga of Latvia. Rhyl are one of very few Welsh Premier clubs to win a European tie.

4 Belle Vue has staged many prestigious matches, including a pre-season Under-21 International Tournament featuring Juventus, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Wrexham as well as Women’s World Cup qualifier and numerous youth internationals.

5 Rhyl has been the chosen venue for many other Welsh Premier clubs to stage European games as their own grounds don’t meet the criteria.

6 Although crowds have dwindled in recent years due to results on the field, the club retains a core loyal following and the actual fan-base potential is massive. In 2003-04, the Lilywhites pulled in more than 5,000 over two matches four days apart. They have also packed out Belle Vue for friendlies against the likes of Liverpool, Everton and Stoke City.

7 Rhyl have fantastic pedigree in the FA Cup. In 1954-55, they made it all the way to round four, their fairytale run including a 3-1 win at Football League Third Division Notts County, regarded by many as the greatest performance ever by a Welsh non-league side in the FA Cup. In 1970-71, Rhyl even played at Old Trafford (neutral territory), beating Barnsley 2-0 in a second round second replay.

8 Former Wales assistant manager Osian Roberts, once dubbed “the most influential man in Welsh football”, was part of the Rhyl management set-up when they won the Welsh Premier title in 2008/09.

9 Numerous famous internationals have worn Rhyl colours, including Barry Horne, Neville Southall, Neil Roberts, Simon Davies, Andy Jones, Andy Holden and Graham Williams. They also launched Lee Trundle’s trip to stardom which took in spells at Wrexham, Swansea City, Leeds United and Bristol City.

10 Rhyl became the only team in history to go through an entire Cymru Alliance season unbeaten when they won the title in 2012/13. That’s the sort of pedigree this club offers.