Football club resigns from league but insists it will be back
A football club which celebrated ‘life-changing facilities’ being developed at its ground less than 12 months ago has withdrawn from its league for the remainder of the season.
Last October, things looked incredibly bright for Meliden FC after a brand-new grass pitch was installed at The Mine courtesy of a £225,000 grant awarded by the Cymru Football Foundation, in partnership with the UK Government.
A second grass pitch was developed to allow the club to accommodate demand with the view of welcoming new women and junior teams.
Earlier in 2024, the club predicted a great future when it announced it had secured a lease at Ffordd Ty Newydd for the continued use of footballing activities for the next 25 years
However, the 2025-26 season started badly for Meliden, with no wins in seven league and cup matches and languishing next-to-bottom of the North Wales Coast East Premier Division.
Manager Dan Sleet and his backroom staff recently stepped down and a number of The Miners’ key players left the club.
Meliden called off its game against Kinmel Bay yesterday as it could not raise a team.
Today it released this statement, but did assure supporters this is a temporary setback and the club will be back…….
“It’s with a heavy heart that we announce the decision to withdraw from the league for the remainder of the season.
“After losing our management team just four games into the campaign, followed by a number of key players, we’ve unfortunately been unable to recover.
“Despite our best efforts to rebuild, the consistency and commitment needed to compete just hasn’t been there — and continuing would only risk further damage to the club’s long-term future.
“This is not the end. This is a step back to reset, rebuild, and come back stronger next year.
“Over the past year, a huge amount of work has gone on behind the scenes — from investment in our brand-new pitch, to the installation of new dugouts and fencing around the ground. The foundations are there.
“As part of that, we’ll be opening up our facilities to the wider community — with plans to host local school tournaments, trials for county-level teams, and more. If any junior teams would like to use the pitch throughout the year, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via our socials.
“We’ll still be working in the background during this break, and we’re already planning for next season — including the introduction of a junior setup and the formation of a fresh, committed squad.
“If you’re someone who wants to be part of building something from the ground up, we’d love to hear from you. Stay in touch with us via our socials and be part of the next chapter.“
MELIDEN FC – THE HISTORY
Meliden Football Club was founded in 1974 and first began to make their mark in the Clwyd Football League in the 1980’s.
In 1993-94, the Miners were crowned Clwyd League Division One champions
They were promoted to the Clwyd Premier Division in 1995-96 but dropped out of the league in 1997-98.
The club reformed for the 2008–09 season and initially joined the Clwyd Football League, soon to become the Vale of Clwyd and Conwy League, winning the President’s Cup and Clwyd Cup in 2011-12, as well as finishing Premier Division runners-up.
They gained promotion to the Welsh Alliance League in 2012-13 and played seven seasons in Division Two, with their best finishing position being fifth in the first campaign.
In March 2019 the club announced that at the end of the 2018–19 season they would resign from the Welsh Alliance League and rejoin the Vale of Clwyd and Conwy Football League.
They finished 2019–20 in sixth place in a season curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2020 the team was accepted into the Premier Division of the new North Wales Coast East Football League.
In 2022-23, Meliden played their way into the semi finals of the Cookson Cup and NWCFA Intermediate Challenge Cup.
Over the past two seasons, they have finished fifth and eighth in the North Wales Coast East Premier.