The existence of Rhyl hangs in the balance after the club chairman revealed the financial plight of the club.
Rhyl face an uncertain future, with the revealing the extent the COVID-19 outbreak will have on the North Walian outfit.
Football has been paused around the world due to the worldwide pandemic of the Coronavirus break,
And after Boris Johnson’s announcement to those in the UK to avoid ‘non-essential’ travel, Rhyl will be unable to generate any regular income streams, whilst football is suspended.
The situation looks bleak for the Lilywhites who have been in the Welsh system since 1992 and have previously won the Cymru Premier and the Welsh Cup.
“We want to continue being completely transparent as this is arguably the bleakest situation the club has been in for over 25 years,” said club chairman Paul Higginson, who made the statement as a call-to-arms for external investment.
“Without significant external investment or clarity on whether the national emergency funding may assist sports clubs during this unprecedented period the ability for Rhyl Football Club to resume playing duties is now seriously under threat.
“This is a situation which I’m sure many other clubs are facing. However, the nature of the ground ownership for Rhyl FC means that our problems are multiplied.”
In the damning statement, Higginson revealed the plight of the former Cymru Premier champions: “The clock is now ticking for the Club, we simply don’t have the financial resources to keep things going.
“Since our December open evening the response from the supporters and local community has been magnificent with fundraising events being held and individuals coming forward to help the club with maintenance tasks.
“However, the current advice regarding gatherings and social distancing means that these types of fundraising events together with other ground related options now removed from the club leaves a bleak future ahead.”
Earlier this month, Rhyl supporters formed a group to assist the club moving forward.
The group will aim to raise funds to support the day-to-day running of the club.
Rhyl are currently in discussions with the owner of their home ground Belle Vue, but revealed the largest cost in running the club is the rent of the ground.
The Lilywhites have four years remaining on their least at their current home ground.
However, Higginson says that a lack of investment could see the club cease to exist.
“Without clarity on external financial support for sports clubs or support from an investor, the only option may be to, unfortunately, call time on Rhyl Football Club and then who knows what would happen then, perhaps a new team may emerge, like CPD Bangor 1876, but in all likelihood, the proud past of Rhyl Football Club may well be consigned to the history books.
Leave a Reply