FAW offer Merthyr up to £6m to join Cymru Prem

Welsh football bosses have offered Merthyr Town a deal worth up to £6m to join Wales' top domestic league.

The Football Association of Wales want the Martyrs to leave the English non-league system and join an expanded Cymru Premier in 2026.

They are the only remaining non-league club from Wales in the English set-up, along with the English Football League (EFL) clubs Swansea City, Cardiff City, Wrexham and Newport County.

As a fan-owned club, members are due to vote on the FAW's proposal - originally made last November - by the end of January.

And Welsh football's governing body have written to owners outlining the compensation Merthyr would get for leaving the English system and incentives for joining the Cymru Premier.

In the letter, the FAW say they would commit £2m towards improving the infrastructure of Merthyr's Penydarren Park home.

They say they would try to double that figure to £4m by securing match funding from government bodies and local authorities.

The FAW say they would also guarantee Merthyr an annual payment of £250,000 over five years for competing in the Cymru Premier, plus an additional £30,000 for the 2026-27 season for any drop in attendances.

There would also be £25,000 towards Merthyr's 4G pitch fund, and up to £40,000 for the installation of a new television gantry.

The FAW say the total financial package is worth £5.95m.

Tempting Merthyr to join the Cymru Premier is part of the FAW's plan to revamp the division, having previously announced the league will expand to 16 teams and include a new end-of-season split into three divisions from 2026-27.

Wales' top flight currently consists of 12 clubs and, after each plays home and away, the league splits into two divisions of six.

Whether Merthyr fans would be tempted to join it - regardless of the seemingly generous financial package on offer - is another matter.

The club cherish their unique situation in the English system, and are in a strong position to be promoted to National League South - the sixth tier of the English game.

They are currently nine points clear at the top of Southern League Premier South after a crowd of 1,744 turned up at Penydarren Park for Tuesday's 1-1 draw with AFC Totton.

Merthyr say they will not comment on the financial incentives offered by the FAW until discussing the matter at a club board meeting next week.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football...s/cy0p9x3k58zo

Bribery.
Merthyr have nothing to gain by joining the Welsh league other than occasional random European games.
Why don't the FAW give the money to existing teams

Bad timing by the FAW with Merthyr flying in the league and drawing crowds of 1500 plus. I can’t imagine them accepting this

Bet the other League of Wales clubs are impressed.

FAW will eventually make a push for all Welsh clubs to be in their tinpot league.
This Euro bait is just the start.

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Originally Posted by bobh

FAW will eventually make a push for all Welsh clubs to be in their tinpot league.
This Euro bait is just the start.

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That's pretty obvious, but their appeals to us, Swansea etc won't be coming any time soon

So this is what the faw mean by the extra funds from their cup competition going towards grass roots football.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bobh

FAW will eventually make a push for all Welsh clubs to be in their tinpot league.
This Euro bait is just the start.

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There are a long list of clubs in Wales who have very very good reason not to trust the FAW.

They are absolutely not to be trusted and have shown it time and again. Cardiff should have absolutely nothing to do with them. We will regret it if we do.

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Originally Posted by The Bloop

So this is what the faw mean by the extra funds from their cup competition going towards grass roots football.

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Probably not

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Father Dougal

There are a long list of clubs in Wales who have very very good reason not to trust the FAW.

They are absolutely not to be trusted and have shown it time and again. Cardiff should have absolutely nothing to do with them. We will regret it if we do.

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Our players are registered to the FAW, but i agree with your wider point.

4 questions.

1. If the FAW are happy to offer merthyr a 6 million bribe to join- how much would they offer cardiff city?

2. Would a desperate future owner of cardiff city take the call? Selling a dream of European football and the European super league etc.... if the call came at a time of significant financial difficulty for the club (which isn't hard to imagine) and was seen as a way out.

3. What could the supporters of cardiff city do if a future owner decided to make the switch?

4. What would the supporters of cardiff city do if a future owner decided to make the switch?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Father Dougal

4 questions.

1. If the FAW are happy to offer merthyr a 6 million bribe to join- how much would they offer cardiff city?

2. Would a desperate future owner of cardiff city take the call? Selling a dream of European football and the European super league etc.... if the call came at a time of significant financial difficulty for the club (which isn't hard to imagine) and was seen as a way out.

3. What could the supporters of cardiff city do if a future owner decided to make the switch?

4. What would the supporters of cardiff city do if a future owner decided to make the switch?

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Doubt the FAW could afford to ‘buy off ‘ the City.

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Originally Posted by Father Dougal

4 questions.

1. If the FAW are happy to offer merthyr a 6 million bribe to join- how much would they offer cardiff city?

2. Would a desperate future owner of cardiff city take the call? Selling a dream of European football and the European super league etc.... if the call came at a time of significant financial difficulty for the club (which isn't hard to imagine) and was seen as a way out.

3. What could the supporters of cardiff city do if a future owner decided to make the switch?

4. What would the supporters of cardiff city do if a future owner decided to make the switch?

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You forgot to mention the spacemen in their spaceships.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Father Dougal

4 questions.

1. If the FAW are happy to offer merthyr a 6 million bribe to join- how much would they offer cardiff city?

2. Would a desperate future owner of cardiff city take the call? Selling a dream of European football and the European super league etc.... if the call came at a time of significant financial difficulty for the club (which isn't hard to imagine) and was seen as a way out.

3. What could the supporters of cardiff city do if a future owner decided to make the switch?

4. What would the supporters of cardiff city do if a future owner decided to make the switch?

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They don't have the money to do that

FAW would obviously love for us to play in the Welsh leagues, but they know its not going to happen

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Father Dougal

3. What could the supporters of cardiff city do if a future owner decided to make the switch?

4. What would the supporters of cardiff city do if a future owner decided to make the switch?

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March and March some more :hehe::hehe:







** disclaimer, this was just a joke and I fully support the rights of city supporters to March and protest, power to the people :thumbup:

I don't like it, we are British as well as Welsh. They would do well to remember that and stop stirring shit!

What has being British got to do with it? Are they trying to get Merthyr to leave the British league?

I understand it from the FAW perspective although I'm not sure it's money well spent for them. And for City we've got nothing to worry about until we are playing at that level, which I'm not sure even the clowns in charge of the club today could manage.

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Originally Posted by Armitage Shanks

Bribery.
Merthyr have nothing to gain by joining the Welsh league other than occasional random European games.
Why don't the FAW give the money to existing teams

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Football in Wales and the FAW have an almost impossible job in some ways. The only real way the Cymru Premier would ever be a success is if Cardiff, Swansea etc were all in it, yet what would be successful in Welsh league terms would be detrimental to those clubs currently in the English system. The possibility of being Welsh league champions and qualification to the Champions' League is something that clearly holds no interest for those sides, so the opportunity to improve the Cymru Premier will forever remain limited.

Scotland will be glad that Celtic and Rangers are still part of their league system and that they have never been able to join the English pyramid with the hope of getting into the PL. If you took the 6 or 7 main clubs out of Scotland, it's football structure would be massively weakened. It's also the argument for not having a European league because losing the top Premier League sides from the English structure would weaken the PL and rest of the league, yet it's precisely what happens in Wales.

Most will say "so what" when it comes to us, but I can understand the FAW's viewpoint on this as well.

Bad timing from FAW as Merthyr flying atm. However, they're probably at their peak in the English pyramid. If they do get promotion it's quite possible they will be transferred to National League North which would be a travelling hell, something I'm all too familiar with.

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Originally Posted by Llanishen Bull

Bad timing from FAW as Merthyr flying atm. However, they're probably at their peak in the English pyramid. If they do get promotion it's quite possible they will be transferred to National League North which would be a travelling hell, something I'm all too familiar with.

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FAW had to do it now because of the restructure they're implementing in 2026

I think you may be right that this is Merthyr's peak in England, its romantic to think they may crack the EFL but realistically that ain't happening. Title challengers & European football in the Cymru Premier is realistic though due to their relative size

Don't they play Welsh league clubs in pre season? Anyone know how they got on?

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Originally Posted by City123

FAW had to do it now because of the restructure they're implementing in 2026

I think you may be right that this is Merthyr's peak in England, its romantic to think they may crack the EFL but realistically that ain't happening. Title challengers & European football in the Cymru Premier is realistic though due to their relative size

Don't they play Welsh league clubs in pre season? Anyone know how they got on?

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I have no idea of this question, hence why I am asking it - is it just the lure of trying to get into the football league that is Merthyr's main reason for staying as part of the English pyramid?

I don't get why matches against Basingstoke, Swindon Supermarine and Totton are better than playing TNS, Connah's Quay or Barry. Why would yo-yoing around a few tiers away from the football league be more attractive than potentially being champions of a whole league with Champions' League games to follow?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bobh

FAW will eventually make a push for all Welsh clubs to be in their tinpot league.
This Euro bait is just the start.

---

:thumbup:

Merthyr just lost their best player to Yeovil. Lewys Twamley, son of Suzanne who used to work for the City.

All the best to him. Terrific little player.

As for the 6m to join the Welsh league, it’s a headline the Daily Sport would be proud of. Absolute poppycock.

It is embarrassing for Merthyr that they choose to play in the seventh tier of English football against powerhouses such as AFC Totten and Dorchester over representing their town in the Welsh League and Europe

Wonder if they’ll come crawling back once the bubble bursts

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Originally Posted by TheBirchgrovePub

It is embarrassing for Merthyr that they choose to play in the seventh tier of English football against powerhouses such as AFC Totten and Dorchester over representing their town in the Welsh League and Europe

Wonder if they’ll come crawling back once the bubble bursts

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Crawling back where? Hasn’t their first team always played in the English system? The town had a Football League side 100 years ago, as did Aberdare. It would be embarrassing if they left where they are now, fell for the FAW’s idea, failed and then asked to rejoin the English system.
Newport fought tooth and nail against the Welsh FA and, eventually, came through it. They were treated abominably and should take that into account in any decision they make.