Fantastic news! Belle Vue to remain Rhyl’s football home

Some good news at last on the North Wales football scene!

CPD Y Rhyl 1879 will play its football at Belle Vue for the 2020-21 season.

The home of the former Rhyl FC since 1900, the newly-formed 1879 has reached agreement with stadium owner David Butters to be based at the Grange Road ground next season.

And the club can reveal it has an exclusive option to buy the ground for the football club, its supporters, the town and the local community it serves.

Former chairman Paul Higginson, new chair Tom Jamieson and managing director Adam Roche have been working behind the scenes tirelessly over the last few weeks to protect the commercial sensitivity required to guarantee the famous ground for the new club.

They have thanked Mr Butters for opening up an exclusive opportunity to purchase Belle Vue. It creates the opportunity for the ground to be club owned for the first time in its history since it became the centre of Rhyl football 120 years ago.

The number one priority for the new club and its leadership team was to secure the Belle Vue stadium for the future of football in Rhyl.

Whilst it was, up until a few days ago, an unbearable prospect that football would never be played at the famous North Wales ground again, it is now certain that CPD Y Rhyl 1879 will kick off the new season there but more importantly the new leadership team will look to guarantee the club never loses out on Belle Vue ever again.

Paul Higginson said: “Personally I have been involved in trying to secure Belle Vue for nearly 15 years. This is a remarkable and momentous opportunity to secure an iconic ground and to secure the history of football in Rhyl, ensuring that the club plays an important role in the regeneration of Rhyl.”

Tom Jamieson said: “We now want to call on everyone who showed their support across all the media for the old club, following the difficult announcement a month ago, to come forward to help bring back success to Rhyl and its community.

“Now we have the ground I’d welcome all conversations from any serious credible investors to help us secure our famous ground and show your community support for the future of football in the town of Rhyl. We have the football support to rival any Welsh team and now we have the ground to match too.”

Serious investment enquiries are invited to rhylfcbellevuegroup@gmail.com

A new volunteer management committee has been formed, with announcements to follow this week.

They have also expressed their delight and excitement that the new club will be playing football back at Belle Vue when the 2020/21 season starts and Mr Jamieson added: “Whilst an historic moment for the new club and our town, the hard work at the ground will start on June 1 when we get the keys as we have to call on all volunteers, existing and new, to get the ground ready post coronavirus to kick that first ball in anger.”

The next and crucial piece of the jigsaw is to recruit the new CPD Y Rhyl 1879 first team manager.

Adam Roche said: “We will be shortly advertising for someone who first and foremost is a proven winner. They must be positive, committed and experienced in North Wales football. We want someone who can demonstrate their passion for success through hard working players on the pitch and equally off it in representing the club with their support through local community engagement.

“This is an unbelievable opportunity to be the first manager in our new club to join us as we look to continue Rhyl’s footballing history by bringing success on the pitch back to Belle Vue.”