FC Mountain fear days are numbered unless appeal against heavy fine is successful

North Wales football club FC Mountain fears it may fold this week unless its appeal against a hefty FAW fine is successful.
As well as dropping two leagues from Cymru North to Tier 4, the club was recently hit by a £7,500 penalty after being granted what the FAW described as ‘elective relegation’ from Tier 2.
Under FAW pyramid regulations, any club guilty of voluntary relegation must operate two divisions below where it competed at prior to withdrawal.
The regulations also state a £7,500 fine will be imposed on any resigning club.
An FC Mountain spokesman insisted the club did not formally request relegation, but was instead weighing up its options in discussions with the FAW for next season.
However, the club was told it must now drop into Tier 4 as well as stump up the four-figure fine. Mountain indicated it would appeal against the relegation last week, but has now shifted emphasis to the fine and its severe implications. A hearing is due on Thursday.
The FC Mountain spokesman added: “They (FAW) have given us the chance to appeal the fine, not the relegation.
“If the panel rules in favour (of its original decision) and applies any fine, it is probably the end of the club if they apply a seven-day payment rule on it.
“We are happy to plan for Tier 4. we just feel the financial penalty would be very harsh.”
The club has been allocated to the North East Wales FA, but as it has changed its name from Flint Mountain to FC Mountain, it may become eligible to play under the North Wales Coast FA banner, depending on where its home ground will be.

FC MOUNTAIN

The club was formed in 2009 as Flint Mountain FC and joined the Clwyd Football League. In 2011 the league was split so they joined the new Clwyd East.
In 2015 this league was renamed the North East Wales League. The 2018–19 season was one of great success for the club as they claimed the North East Wales League title and coveted Horace Wynne Cup, as part of a quadruple.
They moved into the Welsh National League (Wrexham Area) on the back of their promotion as champions.
Prior to the 2019–20 season, Flint Mountain announced they would be moving from the Northop Hall Pavilion to Halkyn United’s Pant Newydd. As a result of the relocation, the team changed its name to Halkyn and Flint Mountain.
The club joined the newly-formed North East Wales Football League in 2020 as a Premier Division club. In May 2022 they announced they would be moving to ground share at Cae-y-Castell, home of Flint Town United.[
On 9 June 2022, it was announced Mountain had been promoted to the Tier 3 Ardal NW League.
The following day it announced that after approval from the North East Wales Football Association, the club had reverted to its previous name of Flint Mountain FC.
In the 2023-24 season, Mountain won the Ardal North West and NEWFA Challenge Cup and reached the final of the Ardal North Cup.
Mountain has spent the past two seasons at its highest ever level – the Tier 2 Cymru North – finishing seventh in 2024-25 and 14th in 2025-26, having made Bastion Gardens, Prestatyn, their home ground.
On June 1, 2026, the club’s alleged “elective relegation” request from the Cymru North was granted by the FAW which ruled Mountain must drop two levels to compete in Tier 4 next season.
The club has now changed its name to FC Mountain and the matter of whether it will compete in 2026-27 depends on its appeal against a £7,500 fine from the FAW for ‘elective relegation’..
If the fine is enforced, the club faces disbandment.