LLANGYNWYD RANGERS Boys and Girls Club are set to take on the management of Llangynwyd playing fields as part of the latest phase of Bridgend County Borough Council’s community asset transfer (CAT) programme.
Under the terms of the transfer, the club will assume responsibility for two football pitches, a pavilion, a car park and associated areas of green open space.
As part of the agreement, the council will provide the club with more than £217,000 funding, £157,000 of which will be invested in essential repairs at the pavilion.
Founded in 1947, Llangynwyd Rangers features 300 registered players spread across 15 different sections including mini, junior, girls, youth and senior teams as well as players aged under six.
As part of the club’s ambitious plans for the site, they are seeking funding from the Football Association of Wales and the Fit For Future Facilities Programme, and are looking at options for bringing forward a £450,000 comprehensive redevelopment that will include significant investment in the public open space at the site while strengthening links to adjacent land, which is managed by Llangynwyd Middle Community Council.
The club will also seek to renovate and refurbish the pavilion and changing rooms, provide new mini- pitches to cater for the extensive junior section, ensure that all pitches remain well maintained to enable use by schools during daytime hours, and develop a new indoor hall or space where classroom learning can take place.
They also want to establish girls-only teams across various age groups, achieve the highest levels of football possible across all teams, and put the health and well-being of the community at the forefront of the plans by providing greater recreational space and an environment that everyone can enjoy.
This includes reconfiguring the changing rooms to cater for the needs of women and girls’ football, creating a new indoor educational / social space for community activities, developing new pathways to create greater access for the public and dog walkers, establish a safe route to school route, and to develop the site’s mix of environments, including its wetlands.
Lauradean Poole, Committee Member and Coach for the Ladies and Girls Section, said: “Securing these funds will help to springboard ladies’ and girls’ football in the Llynfi Valley.
“The club proposes to create dedicated facilities that will enable our ladies and girls to play at home on a far more regular basis, and to create gender parity within the club.
“Girls football in Bridgend and across Wales is going from strength to strength, and we are proud to be a part of that as a Football Association of Wales platinum-accredited club.”
Councillor John Spanswick, Cabinet Member for Communities, said: “I fully support the application from the Llangynwyd Rangers Boys and Girls Club to take on the management of Llangynwyd playing fields, and applaud their vision in wanting to make this a true community facility in every sense of the word.
“Whether it is their strong emphasis on developing the areas of green space at the site or their efforts to encourage more girls to play football, their application really ticks all of the boxes and represents everything that we want the community asset transfer process to achieve, so I wish them every success.”
Council Leader Huw David added: “Once of the big advantages of the community asset transfer process is that it enables clubs and other organisations to apply for funding which local authorities cannot access, so it is really good to see how the club’s ambitious plans for Llangynwyd playing fields includes more than £450,000 of additional investment.
“The CAT programme is helping to preserve valuable facilities for our communities, and I would like to thank all who are working with the council to develop and progress other transfers.”
