Cymru Premier rivals to ground share as Connah’s Quay head to Flint
FLINT, WALES - 06 MARCH 2021: JD Cymru Premier league fixture between Flint Town United F.C. & Penybont F.C. at the Essity Stadium, on March 6th, 2021 in Flint, Wales, United Kingdom. (Pic By John Smith/FAW)
Connah’s Quay Nomads are to ground share with Cymru Premier rivals Flint Town United from the 2023/24 season onwards.
The Nomads, have been at Stadium for several years, but will now make the short trip across the county to the home of their local rivals. Connah’s Quay did have a brief stint at the venue back in 2006/07, but Deeside Stadium has been their home for years.
The Essity Stadium already has two tenants, with Ardal Leagues outfit Flint Mountain also playing their home games at the venue.
A club statement posed on Nomads’ official website on Thursday afternoon read: “We are delighted to have reached an agreement with Flint Town United to their ground for our home fixtures, starting in the 2023/24 season. Having attended a few games there, it’s a fantastic facility and brilliant playing surface – a huge improvement on the pitch at the Deeside Stadium.
“I’d like to express our thanks to Darryl and the Board at Flint for expediting the request and I trust this will be the first of many sporting initiatives between the two long-standing Flintshire clubs.”
In June 2019, Connah’s Quay said they had explored the idea of moving to Cae-y-Castell, and now a small part of those plans will come to fruition almost four years later.
Ambitious plans were set out that would allow for the venue to host European football, with a grass pitch that would be up to the highest standards. Those plans have been shelved after Flint pushed ahead with a £500,000 refurbishment of their pitch, which has gone from grass to 3G
Currently, only The New Saints and Aberystwyth, are the only Welsh domestic clubs that can host continental fixtures. Connah’s Quay made their Champions League debut against FK Sarajevo at the Cardiff City Stadium, and also played at the Racecourse Ground against Dinamo Tbilisi, before a year later playing Armenian champions Alashkert at Park Avenue.
Flint’s Chairman, Darryl Williams added: “We are pleased to have reached an agreement with our neighbours Connah’s Quay Nomads, which will see their first team play their games at the Essity Stadium from next season. This should prove a mutually beneficial arrangement for both clubs and has been sanctioned by the FAW.”
(Pic By John Smith/FAW
