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Despite securing promotion in their debut season, Gilfach Football Club have major concerns about their future as they struggle to find a pitch to call home.
The fairy-tale started for Gilfach FC just over a year ago when a group of friends, who all played together as kids, decided one day over a few drinks that they should get the team back together and form a new club.
“Naive” to the difficulties of actually running a football club, Paul Clifford, who coached a lot of the boys for Bargoed YMCA when they were kids, was “roped in” by his son, Mathew, to become both secretary and coach.
Clifford spoke to Caerphilly Observer about the journey so far: “It’s been great actually. The lads were all friends growing up and have remained that way despite them going off to university or getting jobs.
“I coached a lot of them growing up and there’s good chemistry on and off the pitch between everyone which always helps in sport.”
That chemistry, and ability, was enough to see Gilfach promoted out of the Taff Ely & Rhymney Valley Alliance League (TERV), in their first season.
It hasn’t all been that straightforward for the club however, as Clifford explained: “As it stands, we have to make a six-mile-trip to our home pitch in Fochriw. We have away games closer than that.”
Clifford said how in May 2022, he contacted Caerphilly County Borough Council over the use of Brithdir Welfare Ground and was told the club could use it.
“I knew from playing and coaching there myself that it was a decent ground with good facilities and a decent pitch. We told the league we’d be there and started preparing for the season.
“That’s when we showed up one day to discover giant holes in the pitch. You could fit a football in some of them. We couldn’t work out what was going on.”
After a bit of digging, Clifford and the club realised that it was wild rabbits that were to blame for the holes.
“We tried filling them in of course, but the next day we’d come back and there’d be a hole next to it. We contacted the council but unless the root cause was dealt with it was pointless.”
Short of options, the club had no choice but to secure Fochriw Football Ground as their home pitch for the season – to the frustration of their players and coach.
“It’s been a nightmare honestly for everyone,” Clifford said. “We are sponsored by Murray’s in Bargoed and we planned on taking clubs there after the match for food and drinks, but only two made the trip last season because it was so far away,” he added.
“Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had some great following up there. I half expected a man and his dog at first but we’ve got good supporters.
“It’s just a shame we don’t have anything closer to home. We’re exploring options but at this rate, if we get promoted again there are going to be barriers in the way which will threaten the club.”
Another problem that the club faces is the promotion itself. Clifford explained how despite being just a month or so out from the start of the season, they still don’t know which league they’ll be playing in.
“We know that we’re guaranteed promotion but we just don’t know where to due to the restructuring of the league.
“It’s disappointing because the way we won the league, on the last day of the season, meant so much to the players but now we feel like we’re stuck in limbo.”
Gilfach finished runners-up to Aber Valley FC Reserves, who are upset with the league for denying them promotion.
Clifford added: “It’s been a great first year for the club and we’re always going to look to make our way up through the leagues. However, as things are we have a lot more questions than answers.”
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